Those You Love
by Celebrian of Lorien
Summary: A story of how Haldir learned to love. Love isn't the only thing he learned; along with it he learned heart ache, patience, and friendship. Set in the past leading up to the War of the Ring. UPDATED!
1. The Woodland Realm

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this story except for Lutheriel. All others belong to Professor Tolkien.

Authors Notes: This is my first fan fiction that I have published on the net, so I would love to have you review it. I was inspired to write this story after seeing the movie Lord of the Rings. I have always been a fan of Tolkien but never was really inspired to write any fan fiction. My favorite character has always been the snarky Haldir, even though he wasn't in the book for more than one chapter. I haven't really found any good Haldir fic out there except for a few. Craig Parker's performance of Haldir blew me away and I knew I needed to write something :D If you would like to have this fan fic on your website, please contact me at arwen_evenstar20@hotmail.com or visit my website http://www.geocities.com/haldir_o_lorien

Summary: Things are looking for worse in Middle Earth and Legolas Greenleaf is summoned to Lothlorien. His younger sister travels with him and there they meet Haldir, the March Warden of the Golden Wood. He's cocky and snooty and cares nothing for love...or does he? (This fic is based on both the book and the movie, along with my own ideas added into it giving it a new twist). 

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Those You Love

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The Woodland Realm

by Celebrian

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About Sixty years before the War of the Ring.

"I'm going with you, you know that don't you?" A young Elven woman said sternly as she placed her hands on her hips and looked to the Elven man that rummaged through a dresser drawer.

"Lutheriel, I don't know how many times I'm going to have to say this before it sinks in. No, I will not take you with me." Legolas told the girl as he placed some fresh linens in his bag.

"Please Legolas?! I have wanted to see the woods of Lothlorien ever since I was little." Lutheriel whined as she sat down at the foot of the bed. She looked back up at Legolas. "Please? Pretty please?" She begged.

Legolas huffed, putting his bag down. "No." He spoke in a stern voice. "This is not a vacation. I was summoned to Lorien by the Lord and Lady, and that can only mean that something is not right. Why else would they have called upon me? Orcs have been seen more than often these days and I refuse to risk you by taking you cross country."

"But you'll protect me, big brother!" Lutheriel smiled hopeful that her brother would change his mind.

"I am not going to baby-sit you. I don't have the time for that." Legolas said as he made his way to the door.

Lutheriel balled her fists up tightly. "I didn't ask if you'd baby-sit me!" She spouted angrily. " I am quite capable of taking care of myself! I thought all brothers liked to protect their little sisters."

Legolas walked back over to his sister and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking into her blue eyes. "I am protecting you by not having you go with me." He said in a stern but gentle voice. He straightened back up. "Father requests me." He said as he turned back for the door."

Lutheriel sat in silence for a moment. "Wait!" She shouted as an idea formed in her head.

Legolas sighed deeply. "What sister?" He asked without turning back to look at her.

"Ask father if I can go. If he says no, I will never ask of anything of you again." She said as she stood up, hoping that her brother would agree to those terms. They were in his favor after all.

"Fine." Legolas smiled to himself, knowing that their father would never agree to send his only daughter out into the wild in times like these. "Let's go then, father is waiting."

Lutheriel grabbed her brother's hand and the two of them headed down the stairs to their father's throne room.

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King Thranduil placed his hand on his forehead. "No, no that will not do. We'll need more reinforcements than that if these things come to pass...."

"It's all we have, My King." Thranduil's advisor said as he looked over his papers again. "I doubt even if we joined with all of Rivendell and Lothlorien we'd have enough."

The door to the throne room opened slowly, and Legolas followed by Lutheriel walked in. "You called for me father?" Legolas asked.

Thranduil looked up and motioned for his son to come forward. "Are you all set, my son?"

"As well as I ever will be." Legolas said bowing slightly to his father to show respect. "Can you tell me why Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel are calling on me?"

"You will find out once you get there. All I will say is that Middle Earth will be under assault as it were in the Dark Days. The Lord and Lady will tell you the details, for I do not even know them myself." Thranduil said as he took his son's hand and squeezed it gently. "If you leave now, you can make it to Lorien in five days."

Legolas nodded and turned around. Lutheriel cleared her throat and gave her brother a stern look, mouthing 'Ask him.' Legolas sighed and turned around to face his father again. "One thing. And I already know the answer but she needs to hear it from you or she will never stop pestering me about it."

"What would that be?" The King asked raising his eyebrow.

"Can Lutheriel travel to Lothlorien with me?"

"Yes." Thranduil said without any hesitation.

"I knew you'd never agree to th- wait? What did you just say?" Legolas asked in disbelief.

"I said yes, Legolas." Thranduil smiled slightly at his son's reaction.

"You're joking?" Legolas asked back, seeing Lutheriel wiggle out of happiness out of the corner of his eye.

"Does it look like I'm joking?" Thranduil asked his son raising both of his eyebrows. "Lorien is the safest place for her to be right now . Getting there will be the hardest part but if you do come under attack, I know that you'll protect her...That's what brothers are for."

"Thank you father!" Lutheriel said as she came running up to him, giving him a hug. "I have wanted to see the Golden Wood for so long...."

Legolas's mouth hung open slightly. He still couldn't fathom that their father had agreed to letting her go. It's not that Legolas didn't want her to go, he just was concerned about her well-being. The again if Lorien was the safest place for her to be, then Legolas wanted her to get there. "The hour is late and you still need to pack to leave." He told his sister.

"I'm already packed and ready to go!" Lutheriel grinned.

Legolas furrowed his eyebrows. "You already knew you were allowed to go, didn't you?!"

Thranduil laughed. "Your sister came to me two days ago asking if it was alright to travel with you." The King looked at his children, wishing that they didn't have to leave under these treacherous conditions. "Now hurry you two, while it's still light out, you can travel a great distance."

Lutheriel hugged her father again. "I'll miss you." She said with a voice filled with sadness. "Don't worry about me. Legolas will look after me well."

Legolas nodded and gave his father a loving look and then slowly took his sister's hand. "Good bye father. We will return as soon as it is possible."

Legolas and Lutheriel turned around and headed towards the door. Four Elven escorts awaited the Prince and Princess, they would be accompanying them to Lothlorien. "The horses are ready, Prince." One of the escorts said.

Legolas nodded. "Thank you." He said as they all headed out into the afternoon sunlight.

Lutheriel closed her eyes, her heart raced with excitement and terror. Today would be the first time in all her life that she'd ever stepped a foot out of the Woodland Realm. Legolas helped her mount up on her horse and then proceeded to get on his horse. Two escorts rode ahead of the Prince and Princess and two headed up the back. Legolas turned and looked at his little sister and gave her a smile and then they began their journey out towards Lothlorien.

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Chapter One is done. Please review if you have time. Thank you.


	2. Lothlorien

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tolkien except for Lutheriel, she is mine.

Author's Notes: This is the second chapter of my story. I hope you are enjoying it so far.

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Those You Love

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Lothlorien

by Celebrian

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High up in the great trees called Mallorn, in the realm of Lothlorien, Elven sentries kept watch at the borders. Long ago only two or three at each post was sufficient enough, but now with the changing times more were needed.

"When is that company of Elves from the Woodland Realm supposed to arrive?" A tall blond-headed Elf asked impatiently as he kept his gaze out across the border.

"Five days from today....If all goes well for them, that is." Another blond Elf replied, not taking his eyes off the border for a second, he barely even blinked.

The other Elf huffed about, as he tried to get comfortable on the talan they were standing on. "Haldir!" He said as he finally looked away from the borders. "I can't take this anymore. We've been out here for three days already and not one orc have we seen!"

Haldir did not turn his head to look at the other Elf. "This is our job, Rúmil. I know you are very anxious to get back to your new wife but, duty before love as I always say."

Rúmil shook his head. "I think you got that backwards, brother. Love before duty." He corrected. "Just because you have never experienced love, doesn't mean it's a terrible thing."

Haldir finally took his eyes off the border and looked to his brother, crossing his muscular arms. "I have experienced love. I love Lothlorien and the great Mallorn trees. It is my duty to protect what I love."

"I'd say so....You didn't even come to my wedding. I bet you don't even know the name of my wife, do you?" Rúmil asked.

Haldir was silent for a moment. "It's Aduial." He guessed.

"Well, well...I am surprised you knew that." Rúmil snorted. He fell silent again and sighed. "It's just not fair that I got pulled all the way out to the furthest post the day after I was married...and to be stuck here with you of all people." He joked.

"Bite your tongue, dear brother...or I will bite it for you." Haldir said in his typical dry humor, looking back at the borders. 

Rúmil proceeded to fidget, tapping his fingers against the post he was leaning on. "Seriously Haldir, you are the oldest of both myself and Orophin....We both have lovers...and you....well, you have never had anyone...why is that?"

All the talk about love was getting to Haldir. He growled in the back of his throat. "Maybe because there are more important things to worry about than love for a Elf-maiden. Look at the world we live in, Rúmil...we're under constant threat of attack. As I said before... I do love but, not love for another person. I love my homeland and I intend to protect it to the best of my ability. And I love my job as March Warden...I do not have time to love anything else." He said with his upper lip curling slightly.

Rúmil grew silent, wishing he never opened his mouth about love. He knew that Haldir was always uncomfortable around the subject but he wanted to know why it was so. He turned his head back to the border, vowing to himself never to speak of love to Haldir again.

Haldir inhaled a deep breath through his nose and exhaled slowly. _"Love...who needs it...Love brings nothing but pain...." _He thought, as he looked out over the borders. Though in the back of his mind, deep down there, he secretly yearned for it, though he'd never admit it to anyone and hated to admit it even to himself. It was there though. 

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Please read and review ~Thank you~


	3. Four Days

Author's notes: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed the story so far.

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Those You Love

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Four Days

by Celebrian

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It was nearing the end of the fourth day of the journey to Lothlorien. The sun had began to set over the treetops, causing the sky to turn a radiant violet speckled with magenta. Legolas, Lutheriel, and the four escorts decided that they would stop for the night and continue to their destination tomorrow morning.

"No signs of orcs anywhere. Nor for all the days we've been out here." Elendir, one of the escorts, said as he rolled out the sleeping mats on the cool ground.

"And a good thing too." Another one of the escorts agreed. "By tomorrow afternoon we will be in Lothlorien. I can almost hear the waters of the Nimrodel now." He smiled.

Elendir turned around, looking for the Prince and Princess. "Prince Legolas, the sleeping mats have been laid out for you and your sister!" He called out, into the dim twilight.

Lutheriel and Legolas had wandered a bit father than they were supposed too but the sights of this place were just too wondrous and beautiful. They stood at an edge of a cliff looking out over the grassy plains. Legolas glanced over at his sister, noticing her saddened face. "Lu, is something bothering you?" He asked his sister, placing his hand gently on her shoulder.

"I hate to think that this could all go away." She said keeping her gaze on the beauty of Middle-earth. "I never knew how much beauty this world held..." She whispered as her voice trailed off.

Legolas smiled. "Just think of how beautiful Lothlorien will be." He turned back, looking out over the plains again.

Lutheriel nodded but didn't really hear his words. "And yet a place such as this, is just as evil as it is beautiful." She said turning her head to Legolas.

"I believe there is more good in Middle-earth than there is bad." Her brother said thoughtfully. He truly did believe that with all his heart. "Even with all the orcs, trolls, evil men...the good still out weighs the bad."

Hearing her brother's words made Lutheriel smile, they made her feel safe and at peace. "You always did have a way with words." She grinned. Her grinned slowly turned into a yawn, and she brushed a long strand of her chestnut hair away from her face. "Were my ears deceiving me or did I hear Elendir say that our beds were ready?"

Legolas chuckled. "I think I heard that too." He took his sister's arm in his and the began to walk back to the campsite. "It'll be nice sleeping in a real bed once we get to Lorien. Though I love sleeping out here under the stars...I could do without the roots and rocks sticking in my back."

They reached the campsite and sat down on their mats. Lutheriel removed her boots but Legolas had chosen to keep his on. He reached into his bag and pulled out a shiny silver dagger and tossed it to his sister.

Lutheriel picked up the dagger. "What's this for?" She asked, looking at the Elven crafted weapon.

"Just incase." Legolas replied, as he looked out at the wooded area that was near them. "Even though we are very close to Lorien, we are also near orc territory. The knife is just a precaution...just incase ." He said as he laid back on his mat, placing his hands behind his head.

Lutheriel studied the dagger, hoping that she'd never have to use it. It scared her yet it comforted her to know it was near her. She laid down on her side placing the knife under her pillow. "Goodnight brother." She said as she shut her eyes.

Elendir and one of the other escorts decided to take the first watch for the night. The other two escorts took rest and would replace their companions half way through until morning. "Cold night...." Elendir said quietly as he rubbed his hands together. "If it weren't for those orcs, we could have a fire going."

The other escort nodded. "Warm would be nice...." And that was the last words that were spoken between them. They sat back to back, keeping watch from both directions.

In addition of being a chilly night, it was cloudy, and not a star in the sky could be seen, even the moon was masked by thick clouds. Blackness seemed to envelop everything. And it was quiet and still, not even a chirp from a cricket or a squawk of a night bird. Hours crept on and it was Elendir that broke the silence finally. "It's about time for our watch to be over."

"I was just thinking the same thing. I doubt I could keep my eyes open for a minute more. I'll get the other two up." The other escort whispered, feeling relieved that he could take some rest now. They stood up and began to walk back over to the campsite, which they could barely see in the darkness.

Elendir stopped as something caught his eye. It was moving towards them quickly, it seemed to be a light. A torch . Yes it was a torch. The ground began to tremble under his feet. "Orcs!" He shouted just loud enough for everyone at the camp to hear.

Immediately the escorts got to their feet and drew their weapons. Elendir was correct, it was a band of orcs that was coming their way, and they were closer than they thought

"Blasted things are probably coming back from a raid!" Elendir, said as he drew his sword. "Get the horses!"

Legolas and Lutheriel were now on their feet. Legolas had drawn his bow and Lutheriel gripped the dagger her brother had given to her. Her eyes were full of fear, never in her life had she seen an orc. Now she could hear their foul voice in the air and could almost imagine what they looked like.

"We need to ride out." The escort said as he went to the horses. "Prince Legolas!" He called out as he untied one of the horses and quickly brought the him over to the Prince to mount up on.

Legolas hopped up, looking at his sister as she waited for her horse. "It's going to be alright, Lu." He said in his most comforting voice.

The escort hurried back to the horses and started to untie another one for the Princess. The remaining horses reared up when they heard the cries of the orcs. The ropes snapped and the horses began to race off into the night. The escort tried to grab a hold of one before they all got away, but the horse trampled him, knocking him to the ground. Now the company was stranded, horseless, except for the one that Legolas had, and left to face an unknown number of orcs.

Elendir ran quickly over to Legolas. "Hurry Prince. Take your sister and leave while you still can." He said just as an arrow sped past through the air and just missed him.

"I refuse to leave you behind!" Legolas said sternly. "There is no way that you all will surv-"

"Prince I beg of you! Take your sister and make for the woods of Lothlorien!" Elendir shouted. He spun around when the sound of clanking steel and the clashing of swords was heard. The orcs were now face to face with the other escorts.

"Legolas!!" Lutheriel cried out. "Help me!!" She had been backed up against a tree and an orc was no more than an inch way from her. Snarling and growling in her face. Lutheriel lifted her dagger at the orc, but he batted it out of her hand. It fell to the ground. The orc snarled and breathed heavily on her, making Lutheriel press her back up against the tree tighter.

"Help your sister! I'll try to fend them off in the front." Elendir said as he ran to his companions who were battling it out with a horde of orcs.

Legolas looked in the direction of his sister's cry an d drew an arrow from his quiver. With phenomenal accuracy he shot the orc in the back of the head and then rode swiftly to his sister, pulling her up on the horse with him.

Lutheriel buried her head into her brother's back, her heart was racing a mile a minute, and her body shook with fear. "Legolas, we can't leave Elendir and the others behind." She said slightly sobbing. Even though she wanted to leave more than anything, she knew that she could not leave the escorts behind. They weren't just escorts but also friends.

"I know." Legolas said as he drew another arrow and shot another orc down. The odds were not looking good though. The group of orcs was a lot larger than Legolas had expected and there was no way that the six of them could defeat them all.

Elendir spun around. "Ride out you fools!" He cried in anger, looking at the Prince. He began to open his mouth to speak again but his face froze and then twisted in pain. A long spear had been pushed through his back and was poking out of his chest. Elendir fell to the ground, revealing a growling orc behind him.

Legolas cried out, drawing his bowstring back and shooting the orc dead. He looked around and saw that two other of the escorts had fallen in battle already. Arrows began to zip towards Legolas and his sister. Yet he refused to leave the last escort to stand alone against twenty orcs. The Prince spotted the escort going head to head against a creature that was nearly twice his weight. "Findor!" The Prince called out, but before he even had the chance to pull his bowstring back, Findor was struck down by a barrage of orc arrows. Legolas screamed angered that all of this happened.

"Legolas..." Lutheriel cried, gripping tightly to her brother, never once did she remove her head from her brother's back. It was bad enough she could hear the fighting. She knew that the escorts had fallen, she did not want to see their bodies.

Legolas breathed heavily and then leaned forward to his horse. "Noro lim..." He whispered. The horse turned around and started to gallop off. Arrows still flew past them and the orcs began to chase after the horse, "Noro lim..." Legolas repeated to the horse. The horse picked up more speed and in a matter of mere moments the orcs gave up the chase and went back to pillage anything the dead Elven escorts had on them.

Lutheriel cried softly, her heart still racing. "They aren't going to follow are they?" She asked, finally removing her head from her brother's back, but still keeping her arms wrapped tightly around him.

"No. I doubt they will." Legolas told his sister, his voice filled with grief and sorrow. They rode on for a few hours in silence both of them grieving for the fallen. The golden sunlight began to rise over the top of the trees. Morning had finally come. Legolas stopped the horse in front of a great forest. The trees were like any other that he had ever seen. Lutheriel gazed at them, covering her mouth with her hand. 

"Lothlorien." He whispered.

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Elvish translations:

Noro lim- Ride hard

Please review ~Thanks~


	4. Arrival

Author's Notes: This is chapter four in my Haldir romance fic. I know the last chapter didn't have any Hal in it but I promise this one does :D Please read and review!

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Those You Love

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Arrival

by Celebrían

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The golden sun had risen, and it was the start of a new day. Rúmil climbed up the ladder and found his brother in the exact same position as he left him, while he scouted out the Eastern border. "You haven't moved at all, have you?"

Haldir didn't look up at his brother; he kept his eyes transfixed on the borders. "There was an attack last night, didn't you hear it?" He looked over at his brother with a skewed smile. "Or did you fall asleep while you were out patrolling?"

Rúmil returned his brother's crooked smile with his own. "Yes Haldir, I took a nap." He said sarcastically. "I dreamt of my wife. I am beginning to forget what her face looks like." He sat down next to Haldir and let his legs dangle off the flet. "Thank the Valar we get to return to Caras Galadhon today. It's been a lovely eight days out here with you.... I think we did some real brotherly bonding." He said sharply.

Haldir snorted. "It seems some of my charm has rubbed off on you." He laughed heartily for a moment and then stopped, cocking his eyebrow and pursing his lips together tightly. "We still have to wait for the company from the Woodland Realm to arrive, and who knows...They might still be two or three days away, if they got caught up in trouble."

Rúmil sighed and tilted his head back. "You just love to crush my dreams, don't you?" He asked, but Haldir wasn't listening to him anymore. "Hal?"

Haldir squinted his eyes as he peered out into the Eastern borders. He put his finger up to his lip, to hush his brother. "They have come." He simply said as he quickly stood up and began to descend the ladder to the forest floor. Rúmil smiled to himself and then followed his brother.

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Legolas had dismounted and slowly led his horse, with his sister sitting upon it, through the forest. Lutheriel sat quietly and still, amazed at the beauty of the woods. Her heart beating a bit faster than normal and she couldn't decide if it was from the orc attack or the mere thought of being in the Lady Galadriel's realm. One thing that she noticed right away about the woods, was it was very still and quiet. She had expected something more like how it was in Rivendell. Yet these woods looked old and untouched. She looked at her brother, as he slowly led the horse down the path. "Lego-"

"Daro!" A strong male voice came from behind a tree.

Legolas immediately stopped, looking side to side for the source of the voice. Lutheriel felt as if her blood had frozen. Her mind racing, "_What are the Galadrim like? Are they like the Elves of Rivendell or Mirkwood?" _She thought, looking for the Elf that the voice belonged to.

Haldir stepped out from behind a tree, and bowed ever so slightly. "Mae Govannen! Legolas Thranduilion." He greeted. Haldir arched his eyebrow, looking at the very small company that he had brought with him. "Where is the rest of your company? Surely you did not leave the Woodland Realm without chaperones."

Legolas nodded. "We set out from Mirkwood with a company of six but last night we were attacked by orcs. Only my sister, Lutheriel, and I escaped."

Haldir drew a deep breath. "I feared there was a raid last night, though I could just barely hear the fighting." Haldir's eyes locked onto Lutheriel but then Rúmil stepped out from behind another tree and Haldir broke his gaze off of the Princess. He gestured to his brother. "This is my brother, Rúmil, and I am called Haldir. I serve as March Warden to the Lord and Lady. We are to escort you to the city."

Rúmil bowed his head. "Mae Govannen Prince and Princess." He greeted. "We did not expect to have _two _royal Elves from the Woodland Realm visit Lorien. It is a lovely surprise."

"Neither did Legolas." Lutheriel laughed. "My father thought Lothlorien would be a safe place for me to go." Lutheriel gave Rúmil a warm smile and he returned it. She gave the same smile to Haldir and he returned it with an icy glare that sent chills down her spine.

"I suppose we should lead you to the city now. The Lord and Lady should not be kept waiting." Haldir said rather curt, taking another quick glance at Lutheriel. He turned on his heel and began to walk down the path.

Legolas and Lutheriel took a quick look at each other, wondering if they had said or done something that offended the March Warden. Rúmil came up behind the Prince and Princess. "Don't mind my brother." He whispered, patting Legolas on the back. "Come now." He smiled and the three of them began to follow Haldir, even though he was quite a bit ahead of them already.

For the longest time they all walked in silence. Lutheriel gazed up at the trees, marveling over their size. "I've always dreamt the day I'd get to walk among the great mellyrn. They are bigger than I ever imagined." She spoke quietly.

Rúmil looked up at the trees and nodded. "To think that Lorien is the only place that they grow. Many people think that they are just fables."

Lutheriel looked over at Rúmil as they walked. "Do you travel much?"

"Me?" Rúmil laughed slightly. "No, I have never traveled out of Lorien before." He glanced at Haldir who was walking a couple of feet in front of them. "Haldir has traveled out of this forest a great number of times. He even speaks Westron."

Lutheriel's mouth dropped open slightly. "Really? I've been trying to learn a little Westron myself." She laughed. "Haldir, do you think if you have a few minutes to spare, you could teach me a little?"

Haldir had been listening to the entire conversation since they all left the borders, but did not once speak to add anything to it. Now he was asked a question, and knew that he needed to speak. "Westron is hard language to learn. One needs patience and knowledge to grasp it. I doubt I'd have any kind of time to teach you even one phrase...I am very busy." He said coldly.

Rúmil rolled his eyes and then smiled. "No you're not brother. You have a few days off since you spent the last eight days on border patrol. I'm sure you could spend a little time with the Princess-"

"I said I am _very_ busy, _Rúmil_." Haldir said bitterly, turning and giving his brother a sharp look. 

Lutheriel looked at her brother and then back to Haldir. "It's okay.... I just thought...never mind..." She said quietly.

Haldir took a deep breath and started to walk again, feeling just the slightest bit of guilt that he spoke like that to a lady, who happened to be a Princess. He would never dream of speaking like that to the Lady of Lorien, but then again, Galadriel, would never ask him if he'd teach her Westron. For a moment he felt like apologizing but that notion soon left him. "Welcome to Caras Galadhon." 

Lutheriel looked at the back of Haldir's head as they walked into Caras Galadhon. _"What did I say to him? Did I do something? Why is he so cold and unfriendly? Is he having a bad day or is he always like this? He can't be like that everyday! No Elf could be like that everyday of their life." _She thought, and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to find out why he was the way he is. If he did have a few days off, she'd make sure that she would try to speak with him again.

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Author's Notes: I hope you are still enjoying the story, please review and let me know. Reviewing lets me know that people are actually reading my story (when I get reviews it makes me want to write more, even if they are negative ones)! Thank you :D

Elvish Translations:

Daro!- Halt! 

Mae Govannen! Legolas Thranduilion- Welcome! Legolas, Son of Thranduil


	5. Dinner

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Those You Love

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Dinner

By Celebrian

Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel stood waiting for Legolas and Lutheriel to come forth. The Lady knew even before the company set out from Mirkwood, that the escorts would be slain before the arrival in Lothlorien. She had seen all of this in her mirror. Her eyes fell upon Haldir, who led them to the base of the stairs. He seemed more withdrawn than usual, something...or rather _someone _was making him uncomfortable. Galadriel smiled to herself knowing exactly what it was. The Prince and Princess approached and stood looking up at the Lord and Lady. "Mae Govannen Legolas and Lutheriel of Mirkwood." She spoke slowly, giving them a warm smile.

Legolas bowed deeply. "We our honored to be in your presence, My Lady." He said as he straightened back up, returning Galadriel's gentle smile.

Lutheriel's mouth was slightly open, as she stared upon the Lady of the Light. Even though she had royal blood in herself, she had didn't know how to act. She was scared to move scared to speak, and even scared to breathe. _"This is Galadriel...One of the wisest Elves in all of Middle-earth...and I am in her presence." _Lutheriel thought to herself.

Galadriel's eyes shifted to the Princess and she laughed slightly. "Do not be afraid Lutheriel." She said warmly. She could sense that the girl had a pure heart like her brother. "In Lorien you are welcome to anything we have to give."

Lord Celeborn nodded his head. "We know of your attack last night. We are sorry for the loss of your friends. There have been a lot of orcs attacks right outside of our borders in the last few months."

The grief in Legolas was still too near. He tried not to think about it, so he just nodded his head. "They died noble deaths..." Was all he could manage to say.

"You two look famished. We have had dinner prepared and would be honored if the two of you would join us." Galadriel said changing the subject of death to something lighter.

Legolas looked at his sister and she smiled. "We too would be honored." They were honored just to be standing in Caras Galadhon.

Lutheriel felt more at ease now and smiled generously at the Lord and Lady. Then her gaze slightly shifted over to Haldir, who stood proudly off to the side. Proud and cold he looked; and Lutheriel couldn't figure out why. He hadn't said one nice thing to her or her brother since they came into Lothlorien. In fact he hadn't said much at all. His brother Rúmil was quite nice though. There was something about Haldir that Lutheriel liked, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. _"It's definitely not his attitude; he has no humor so to speak of...at least none that I have seen. So what is it about him that I like?" _She watched him a few more moments, trying to think what it was. _"Maybe it's because he looks so strong...He seems focused...He must really care about Lothlorien and the Lord and Lady." _She came to the conclusion. She also admitted to herself that he was very handsome. His piercing blue eyes and his well-built body sent chills down her back. A small smile crept across her face as she continued to look at the March Warden.

Their eyes locked on each other.

Lutheriel felt her cheeks grow warm and she quickly looked away. _"Stupid...stupid..." _She cursed herself.

Haldir had known that Lutheriel had been staring at him for quite awhile. Though he couldn't do anything about it in the presence of Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. If they weren't present he would have snapped at her. _"Why are you staring at me!?" _He thought coldly, narrowing his eyes at the Princess.

"Haldir?" Galadriel said as she arched her eyebrow at her March Warden. She had been calling him for the past few seconds. All eyes were on him.

Haldir snapped out of his thoughts and looked wide eyed at Galadriel. "I'm sorry, My Lady." He bowed.

Galadriel smiled. "I would like for you and your brother to attend dinner with us. Since you have been away for over a week, you two deserve at fine meal."

Rúmil stepped forward, before Haldir could answer. "My Lady, would it be okay if I returned to my flet instead. I have missed my wife, Aduial, terribly over the last week and would love to spend an evening with her." Rúmil glanced over at Haldir, and a sly smile spread across his face. He looked back at Galadriel. "But my brother Haldir would be honored to dine with you and our guests."

Haldir shot his brother a death look and then opened his mouth to protest to Galadriel. "My Lady...I am very tired...I wish to rest."

Celeborn nodded. "Rest and be merry with us! A good meal first and then rest." 

Haldir nodded. "Yes...My Lord." He said. _"And now I have to socialize with them. I suppose the Princess will ask me all sorts of questions of my travels and make me speak Westron. I rather be fighting a Balrog." _He thought bitterly.

Galadriel and Celeborn took each other's hand and turned away, walking up the stairs. Haldir gestured for Legolas and Lutheriel to follow them. "This way to the dinning hall." His eyes locked onto Lutheriel and she gave him a soft smile. Haldir didn't smile and he didn't glare back. He simply motioned for her to start moving.

***********

The smells of the food wafted in the dinning room. Lutheriel inhaled deeply and smelled the roasted meats and sweet desserts. There was a large table set in the center of the room. Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel took their seats at the two ends. Legolas was seated near the Lord. Lutheriel stood next to a chair, waiting for someone to pull it out for her. Haldir began to take his seat across from Lutheriel.

"Haldir, help the Lady with her chair." Celeborn said to his March Warden.

Haldir sighed inwardly and then walked around to the other side of the table and pulled the chair out for the Princess. Lutheriel smiled and sat down. Haldir pushed the chair into the table quickly and Lutheriel felt herself sandwiched tightly between the back of the chair and the edge of the table. She could barely breath. "It's a little tight..." She said with out trying to sound mean.

"Sorry..." Haldir muttered, pulling the chair out a little. It's not that he meant to make it seem like a mean gesture, it's just that he had never had to do that before. Haldir walked back to his seat and sat down.

Dinner was served and the drinks poured. Haldir barely looked up from his plate, but when he did it was usually to grab his wine. In silence he sat eating and listening to the conversation around him, and as usual he did not take part in adding anything to it. _"The faster I eat, the sooner I can leave..." _He kept telling himself.

"Lord Haldir?" Lutheriel asked.

Haldir slowly looked up from his plate. "What?" He said with a mouth full of food.

"Would you pour me another glass of wine?" She asked, holding out her glass. Haldir shrugged and reached for the pitcher, pouring the red wine into the Princess's glass. He set the flask back down and nodded. "Thank you....So....how far have you traveled before?" She asked. She had wanted to speak to him the whole night but was waiting for the right moment. The evening was almost over and she knew now had to be the time.

__

"Here we go..." He said shaking his head. "I've traveled to Rohan before...well, actually a few times. Mostly to deliver messages. I have been to the Misty Mountains but never inside of Moria. Any place where Dwarves have dwelt...I will not go."

Lutheriel laughed. "Who wants to live in the mountains anyways? Not while you have the beauty of the trees of Lorien..."

"Exactly!" Haldir said. Then a strange thing happened. He smiled. It only lasted a moment though, when he had realized what he had done, he stopped, hoping no one saw. He returned back to eating, vowing not to speak again.

Lutheriel noticed though (as did Galadriel)_. "I got him to smile...I got Haldir to smile! I wonder if that has ever happened before?" _She thought happily. She smiled at Haldir, even though he was looking down at his plate.

**********

Legolas looked at Lord Celeborn after the meal was through. "Thank you, that was the best meal I have eaten in a long time."

Celeborn nodded to the Prince. "You are very welcome, Legolas." He said as he filled his wife's glass and then filled his own.

Legolas sat silently for a moment. He knew what he wanted to ask, but didn't know if this was the right time or not. He took a few breaths and then looked up at the Lord and Lady. "If I may ask.... Why have I been summoned here?" 

Galadriel nodded. "Tomorrow you will learn why we have called you here. Tonight you and your sister should relax and enjoy Lothlorien...."

Legolas nodded, though what Galadriel said worried him. How could he possibly rest now? "Yes, My Lady."

Celeborn looked around the table. "We will not keep you two any longer. I'm sure there are things you'd like to see and do. There is a flet for each one of you. They are not too far away from here. I'll have Haldir show you where they are." 

Legolas stood up. "I will find my own, My Lord, but Haldir may show my sister hers."

Galadriel nodded. "As you wish. I'll give you the directions so you can find it easier, instead of

walking aimlessly around Lorien." She joked. She then began to tell Legolas where his flet was.

Lutheriel looked at Haldir and he looked back at her, with narrowed eyes, but they didn't seem as harsh as they had previously been. She half hoped that her flet would be a ways away...maybe then she could talk to him more _and _possibly make him smile again. She got up from her chair and walked over to her brother. Before she wished Legolas a good night, she turned to bow to the Lord and Lady. "Thank you." She smiled and then turned to her brother. "Goodnight Legolas. Have good sleep." She said kissing her brother on the forehead. 

Legolas kissed her back and gave her a hug. "Sleep well. See you in the morning." He looked at Haldir and then leaned closely to his sister. "You are not worried to go with him are you? Maybe I should go after all..." He whispered.

"Nonsense! I will be fine. The Lord and Lady trust him...." Lutheriel smiled, she gave her brother's hands a quick squeeze and then walked over to Haldir. "I am ready for you to show me my flet now, Haldir.

Haldir nodded. "As you wish. Follow me." He bluntly said. He looked at Lutheriel. "It's growing dark out...do you...." He stopped before he said anymore.

Lutheriel raised her eyebrow. "Do I?..."

Haldir rolled his eyes. "Do you ...do you..." Why couldn't he just say it? What was so hard about speaking? Perhaps if he done it more often this wouldn't be so hard, but all he was used to was either giving commands or sarcastic remarks. He gritted his teeth. "Do you wish to take my arm so that you do not trip over something and fall.... Because I do not want to have to carry you if you hurt your foot." He added, so it didn't sound like he was being nice.

Lutheriel smiled and slipped her arm through his. "I would be delighted, March Warden." And with that the two left the dinning room of Celeborn and Galadriel and headed out into the night.

**********

Author's notes: I hope you liked it. Please review...I like reviews :D Sorry for the delay in the update. I hope to have the next chapter done in a couple of days (if not sooner).


	6. Love is for Fools

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Those You Love

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Love is for Fools

By Celebrian

The stars were like jewels twinkling on the black velvet canvas of the sky. The air was cool and crisp with a light breeze that blew from the North. Lorien was no longer of forest of gold but now of silver. The leaves seemed to change color once the sun went down. The silver leaves made the forest seem much colder than it really was. Just as in the daytime the forest seemed warmer than it really was because of the golden leaves. Silver lamps hung high in the trees casting just enough light for the Elves to see as they wandered around Lothlorien.

"It's beautiful here in the evening. I think I might actually like the silver leaves more than I enjoy the gold ones..." Lutheriel said as she walked slowly with her escort.

Haldir gave a short laugh. "The leaves don't actually change color. It's just the moonlight and starlight reflecting off of them..." He said in a cold tone of voice that made the forest drop a few more degrees.

Lutheriel bit her lower lip. She knew that...she didn't mean to sound like that she had really thought the leaves changed color. _"He takes everything so literal..." She_ looked up at him. "Really March Warden?" She asked.

Haldir nodded still looking straight. "I would assume that you don't know much about Lorien and the Galadrim, do you?" 

Lutheriel smiled to herself. Maybe _he_ would tell her about all she was curious to know. "No I do not." She paused, wondering if she should ask or not. "...Would you care to tell me about them?"

"No. I don't feel much like speaking anymore. I will show you your flet and let you be. If you'd like I could have someone bring you some texts." Haldir said bluntly. _"Perhaps I should talk to her...just a little.... I could boast on how wonderful Lorien is compared to Mirkwood..." He_ thought. _ "No, that would mean I'd have to answer her questions."_

"Texts would be nice. Could you have them sent to me in the morning?" She asked.

"Would you like them tied together with a satin ribbon as well?" He asked sarcastically.

Lutheriel laughed in her head. She decided she'd have some fun with the March Warden. "Actually that would be quite lovely. I'd like the ribbon to be light pink, to match the one in my hair." Of course she didn't mean any of that. She just wanted to see what Haldir had to say about that.

Haldir took a quick glance at Lutheriel's ribbon in her hair and rolled his eyes. "You'd be lucky enough if I tied them together with a strand of warg hair." _"Pink to match the one in her hair...Who does she think she is? I don't care if she is a princess...no one orders me around like that.... Of course *I* did ask if she wanted me to have them tied together with satin.... How can she be so dense though! Could she not see that I had said that to be sardonic?" _Haldir thought to himself, grinding his teeth. 

Haldir led Lutheriel passed Galadriel's glade and into the garden. The moon shone through the trees and the pale stars twinkled around it. Haldir looked up and gazed into the sky. He'd much rather be sitting in the garden alone, laying back on the cool grass, letting his mind go clear from stress and worry, but he was leading Princess Lutheriel to her flet. Haldir stopped and looked from side to side. Left of right. Which was the way to her flet, he had forgotten. "Damn it...." He muttered under his breath.

"What is it, March Warden?" Lutheriel asked her guide. She guessed that Haldir had forgotten where her flet was by the look on his face. She smiled inwardly, even though his face was clearly angered, she couldn't help to think it was kind of cute. _"He looks so cute when he's mad..." _She giggled in her mind.

Haldir seethed to himself and looked at Lutheriel with narrowed eyes. He really didn't feel like admitting that he had forgotten where her flet was. What would that say for his image? But he figured she'd probably figure it out on her own while they walked around Lothlorien for hours. "I can't remember where the flet is." He confessed. He let go of Lutheriel's arm and crossed his own.

"Well, how about we sit here for a few minutes and look at the stars, maybe then you'll remember." She smiled as she sat down on the grass. Haldir didn't move and stood there glaring at her. Lutheriel laughed and patted the ground next to her. "Sit!" 

Haldir sighed and sat on the ground next to Lutheriel, but not to close to her. He looked up at the stars as they twinkled about. It was truly a beautiful night, the most beautiful he had seen in a long time.

"It's so beautiful out...I've never seen a night like this, have you?" Lutheriel asked, glancing over at Haldir.

"Never. Not in all my years. The stars to seem to have a faint violet tint to them..." He observed. "Remarkable...."

Lutheriel didn't know what to say; she just kept watching Haldir as he looked up towards the heavens. If she didn't know him at all, she'd probably mistake him for a poet or artist by the way he sat and watched the sky, but he was a mean and arrogant military Elf. Still Lutheriel could sense a soft side with in him. She wanted so badly just to get a glimpse of it. _"Don't do it...don't you dare fall in love with him, Lutheriel! You are going to regret it. Don't do it!" _She warned herself. 

__

"Why is that silly maiden still staring at me?" Haldir thought, fidgeting to get comfortable as he sat on the dewy grass. _"We shouldn't be here...What if we are seen? What will people think?" _He worried. What would become of his image if he were sharing a night like this with a maiden? What if Rúmil saw him...he'd never hear the end of it. Haldir began to get up. "We should go...I have remembered..." 

Lutheriel looked at him and pouted her lip. "Already? Can't we just stay here and watch the stars a bit longer. Who knows when it'll be before we see another night like this? It could be thousands of years..."

True. Haldir had been living for over three thousand years already and he had never seen they sky as beautiful as it was tonight. He sat back down on the grass, a little closer to Lutheriel than he had before. He leaned back putting his hands on the ground behind him and felt his fingers brush up against hers. His eyes went wide and he moved his hand away quickly. "Sorry.." He muttered. He was a bit shaky after that. Lutheriel didn't say anything about it and continued to look up at the sky. Haldir took a quick glance at her, noticing how she looked in the moonlight. The more he looked at her, the less he could take his eyes off of her. _"She's ugly." _He told himself. _"...No...She's not. She is average...nothing to get excited about.... No, she is beautiful. Probably the prettiest maiden I have ever laid eyes on. What am I saying!? I have no time for this! I knew this is what would happen! Love makes you act like a fool!" _He hadn't realized that he said it but he did. He had said that he was in love. It was subtle, but it was there. He had been fighting it since the first time he had seen her and now it was defeating him.

Lutheriel's body still tingled from when Haldir's hand brushed against hers. She had felt his strong calloused fingers upon hers. Too bad it didn't last more than a second and it would probably never happen again. She looked over at him out of the corner of her eyes. He seemed nervous about something. "Haldir?" She asked.

"Yes?" He said looking over at her.

"Will you teach me one phrase in Westron?" She asked.

"If I do will you stop asking me about it and never speak of it again?"

"I promise." She smiled. "I want to know how to say Amin mela lle."

Of all the phrases she could have asked for she picked that one. He'd much rather teach her Westron curse words than that. "Well...it's I love you." He said slowly, making sure he got all the accents in the right place. He also hoped that that was the right translation. He had never said those words in Elvish, let alone Westron. He arched his eyebrow. "Why did you want to know how to say that?" He asked, sounding snooty.

Lutheriel smiled. "I wanted to speak those words in Westron to my lover. I think it'd be romantic."

Haldir got a sharp pain his chest. _"Her lover?...She has a lover?...." _He didn't know how to take that. Was it a good thing or was it a bad thing? By the pain in his chest he knew it to be bad. _ "This is stupid...why do I even care!" _Haldir stood up. "Come on! We need to leave now..." He said as he began to storm out of the gardens.

Lutheriel sat on the ground with a confused look on her face, before she sprang up and began to dash after the March Warden. "Haldir! Wait up!" She called, trying to figure out why he just stormed out like that. By the time she caught up with him, he didn't have such a gentle look on his face anymore. "Is something the matter?" She asked, touching his forearm.

Haldir jerked away slightly. "Your flet is over here." He pointed, looking at Lutheriel, but trying not to make to much eye contact with her.

"Thank you for escorting me.... and thank you for spending time in the gar-" 

Haldir shook his head. "Have a good night Princess. I don't suppose I'll run into you again. Enjoy your stay in Lorien." He gave her a nod and then quickly turned away and began to walk away.

Lutheriel stood watching him until she lost sight of him. _"I... love ...you.." _She thought in her head, trying to remember the words he taught her. She stood there a moment more and walked inside her flet, with the feeling of sadness in her.

**********

Author's Notes: Whew! I hoped you liked that chapter. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing, it's been inspiring me to write more :-) Please read and review this chapter if you have the time!


	7. Brotherly Advice

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Those You Love

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Brotherly Advice

By Celebrian

Haldir walked quickly through Lorien, trying to get away from Lutheriel's flet as quickly as he could. He was so furious with himself that he let these emotions get to him. _ "What do I care?! I don't care if she has a lover. It's not like I wanted her anyways..." _He tried to lie to himself, but it wasn't working. For the first time in his life he thought something good was going to happen to him. _"I don't need love..." _He told himself again. Haldir walked began to walk slowly after he got out of the gardens. The night was still early but the sky didn't appear to be as beautiful as it was before. The stars didn't have that violet twinkle to them and the moon was dull and lifeless. Haldir sighed, _"A perfect night for the mood I'm in..." _He thought as he began to climb up one of the mellryn trees. Maybe if he just sat up here for awhile and rested, he could sort these new feelings out.

Haldir leaned his head back on the tree and shut his eyes. He hoped he'd be able to forget all about the last couple of hours. _"I probably won't see her again. I'll keep myself distant and that way I'll have no chance into running into her. Except I need to get those texts I promised her...I'll have someone else do it..." He_ decided. 

It was more than a couple of hours, when Haldir hear someone walking on the ground below him. Haldir moved slightly from his perch in the tree and peered down at the ground.

"Haldir?" A voice called in a hushed whisper. "Are you out here someplace?"

It was his brother Orophin.

Haldir debated whether or not he'd let his brother know that he was right above him. Slowly, he pulled out one of his arrows from his quiver and fitted it to his bow. He decided he'd give his little brother a scare. Haldir smiled wickedly to himself and aimed it near his brother's head. Haldir released his fingers from the string and the arrow shot through the air and just missed Orophin's head by a mere inch. Haldir stifled his laughter and watched his brother practically jump out of his skin.

Orophin's face went pale as he turned around and saw the white-feathered arrow sticking into a tree. His eyes wide with fear. "...who's there?...." He said quietly, putting his hand on his knife, ready to defend himself if he needed to.

Haldir couldn't contain his laughter any longer. "You should have seen your face!" Haldir said as he poked his head out from the tree and waved to his brother. "Some sentry you are!" He laughed.

Orophin's pale face turned red with anger. "I should have figured! What are you doing up there Haldir?" 

Haldir furrowed his eyebrows. "How did you know how to come looking for me here anyhow?" He asked without answering Orophin's question.

"I've been looking for you all over the place. I went to your flet and saw that you weren't home and I know usually on nights like this you like to sit and think...I guess I just guessed you'd be here...I am your brother after all..." Orophin explained as he looked up at Haldir in the pale moonlight. "Can I come up?"

Haldir nodded. "If you must." He replied, not sounding overly thrilled at the idea. He scooted back on the branch and waited for his brother to climb up. 

Orophin sat on the branch next to Haldir and nodded. "Nice view..." He said looking around.

Haldir arched his eyebrow. "So...." He asked. "Why did you need to see me?"

"I wanted to see how your watch went." Orophin smiled. "I was going to ask Rúmil but I didn't want to bother him and his wife."

"You think I like to be bothered?" Haldir asked snottily.

"Well...no. But I wanted to ask someone." Orophin said pulling a leaf off the tree and studying it closely. "So what are the Prince and Princess like?" He finally asked.

"I don't know...I barely talked to them. They seemed to act how a prince and princess should act." Haldir bluntly said

"I heard you had dinner with them. I bet that was pretty exciting." Haldir's brother smiled.

Haldir rolled his eyes. "About as exciting as having my hair braided..." He said drolly. 

"And I heard that you escorted Princess Lutheriel to her flet..." Orophin added with a grin.

"Where are you getting your information from!?" Haldir snapped. His brother knew a little too much to his liking.

Orophin cringed. He was just having a bit of fun, he didn't mean to make Haldir snap. "I asked the Lady and she said that you escorted the Princess. Sorry..." 

Haldir growled to himself. "I just escorted her...nothing else." He looked at his younger sibling and narrowed his eyes. He turned his head back and leaned it back on the trunk of the tree. _"Go away Orophin...." _He thought to himself. He thought about Lutheriel and how pretty she was. She beautiful smile and her icy blue eyes. Haldir smiled.

"Haldir? Is that a smile I see?" Orophin laughed, looking closely at his face.

Haldir stopped. "No..."

"Don't lie. What are you smiling about?" Orophin asked wondering what in Middle-earth could get his brother to smile. "Do tell?"

Haldir wanted to tell Orophin about his feelings for the Princess but how could he even bring that subject up? He would surely be laughed at. "Nothing." 

"You have to tell. I promise I won't tell another soul." Orophin asked eagerly.

"It's nothing. Just forget about it." He paused and sighed deeply. "Fine. If you must know...."

"Yeah? If I must know? Yes!" Orophin said as he came closer to Haldir. "What is it? What has made you smile?"

"Don't you laugh and don't you dare tell another soul." Haldir glared.

"Promise." 

"I...have..." Haldir took a deep breath. "feelings for Princess Lutheriel." He said quietly.

Silence.

Orophin sat there staring at his brother, for the longest time. "Did I hear that correctly? The March Warden of the Galadrim...has a love interest?" He paused. "And a Princess too! When you go for something, you like to go all out don't you, Hal?"

Haldir wished he could have taken the last few minutes of his life back. But surprisingly Orophin didn't laugh and he seemed generally happy for him. "So...you're not laughing? And you believe me?" He asked.

Orophin chuckled. "Well it's about time you found someone. So did you confess your undying love to her?"

"I just met her!" Haldir said a little shocked that his brother asked that. "I just think she's...beautiful. She has a kind heart too. There is a problem though..."

"What's that?" Orophin asked.

Haldir felt that stabbing pain in his chest again. "She has someone already."

"Ah yes..." Orophin said nodding his head. "There is always a catch. My advice to you then, is to let her go. Getting involved with someone who has a mate already is the worst possible thing you can do. Open your eyes up and look at the other beauties of Lorien. There are plenty of them." He said with a smile.

"I can't believe I just told you all of that.." Haldir muttered, feeling like an idiot.

"I'm glad you did, brother." Orophin said with a genuine smile. "You got some good advice out of it and I got to help my older brother. Just listen to what I have said though." Orophin looked up at the sky and then back to Haldir. "I better get going now. Have a good night, Haldir." He said as he climbed down the tree and strode off in the other direction.

Haldir watched his brother go_. "Let her go? How can I possibly do that? I doubt I will ever feel the same about anyone else." _He sighed, closing his eyes. _"I must forget about her. She won't be here very long anyways. And what on earth would a Princess want with a March Warden? She needs a Prince and that I am not...." _

Haldir tried not to think about her for the rest of the night but every time he thought of something else Lutheriel's face or voice would pop into his mind. He tried fighting it for awhile but soon gave in. And like as always when someone tried to give him advice, he pushed it to the side, pretending like he did not hear it. He knew what he was going to do, but he just had to figure out how to go about doing it.

*******

Author's Notes: That's the end of Chapter Seven. I hoped you enjoyed seeing Haldir starting to open up a little bit and showing that he isn't all just arrogance. As always......... Please review!!! I love to hear what my readers have to say!


	8. Unexpected Happenings

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay on the updates, I have been a bit busy, anyways here is the next chapter! Please read and review as always! (I also now allow reviews from people that aren't registered with ff.net).

**********

****

Those You Love

__

Unexpected Happenings

by Celebrian

Lutheriel had trouble sleeping all night. She just kept thinking about what she could have said to Haldir that made him so angry with her. She had lay in bed all night with her eyes wide open, staring out the window, looking up at the moon. She replayed the whole conversation in her head, thinking about her actions but she could think of nothing. She finally came to the conclusion that it was nothing she did at all. Haldir did have quite an attitude and more than just a bit of arrogance. Just as she was about to fall asleep though, she would start thinking about something else that she have might had done.

Now it was morning, the silver leaves of Lorien had vanished and were not replaced by the bright golden ones. Lutheriel sighed as she pulled herself up out of bed. _"My first night in Lorien and look how it turned out..." _She thought to herself as she quickly got dressed. She sighed again, pacing back and forth in her flet_. "Why am I so upset over this anyways? He's a March Warden.... Who happens to be very handsome and knowledgeable about the outside world...." _She added to her thoughts. Lutheriel sat down in a cushy chair and rested her eyes for a moment. "There is no reason why I should stress myself out for him...I only just met him yesterday and I know next to nothing about him. He could have a wife for all I know...." She rambled on out loud. She started to laugh when she realized what she was doing. Feeling foolish, she stood up and began to walk towards the door. _"I hope Legolas had a better night than I did..." She_ thought as she put her hand on the doorknob.

*Knock, Knock...* "Princess Lutheriel, I have a delivery for you." A voice called from the other side of the door.

Lutheriel opened it quickly and found a sentry standing there with some book in his hands. _"The texts." _Lutheriel immediately remembered. Haldir said that he would send over some texts on Lorien in the morning. "These are for me?" She asked the sentry.

"Yes, My Lady. The March Warden said that you requested them..." The sentry said handing the books to her.

Lutheriel was going to correct the sentry, telling him that she was not the one who requested the books, but that Haldir had suggested the idea. She decided not to go into detail with him though. "Thank you.." She smiled as she accepted the books. She looked down at them and her smile grew into a great big grin. There were three books and they were tied together with a light pink satin ribbon that matched the one in her hair. She looked up at the sentry and nodded. "Thank you again..." She said a little too happily.

The sentry nodded and began to walk off. Lutheriel turned and shut the door behind her and giggled out loud, sliding into the comfy chair again. _ "He remembered...I can't believe he remembered the ribbon." _She hugged the books close to her. She didn't expect for Haldir to do that. After all when she suggested it he snorted and told her that she'd be lucky if he tied them together with a strand of warg hair. Lutheriel giggled again, feeling high on love until she thought about it. _"Oh, who am I kidding!? He only added the ribbon because I am a princess and I requested it..." _She sighed and got up out of her chair, setting the books aside. "I really should go find my brother..." She said as she walked out the door, trying to forget about Haldir.

***********

The sun was blazing over head but the trees of Lorien kept the forest cool. Haldir leaned comfortably against one of the Mallorn tree trunks with his arms crossed. He had the day off; he had the next couple of days off and didn't know how to spend them. He never knew what to do when he had time away from his post, usually he sat around alone wishing he was out on border patrol. Occasionally he would challenge one of his brothers to a friendly archery competition (which he would win) but even that wasn't anything to thrill him. He propped his left foot up against the trunk and observed the other Elves as they went about their duties. _"And I'm stuck here to do what? I feel useless...There could be an attack on Lorien and I wouldn't be out there to defend it..."_

He thought to himself as he glared at a passing sentry. _"So I'm stuck here while my incompetent Second in Command, Yulion, is out there keeping watch..." He_ thought coldly. 

Suddenly Haldir's eyes locked on to an Elf maiden who was walking his way. His heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened. He didn't want to see her, he hoped he'd never see her again. He was just about ready to duck behind the tree but she caught his eye and waved to him. "Damn it" Haldir cursed under his breath, he gave her a nod. "Good morning Princess."

"Good morning March Warden." Lutheriel smiled, trying not to sound too interested in him as she previously had been. "Are you enjoying your day off?"

Haldir shrugged. "Not particularly. I'm hoping I'll be called to duty."

Lutheriel nodded and began to walk away. She wanted to stay and chat with him a little longer but she knew if she did she'd probably make him mad and besides, she was trying to forget about him.

Haldir watched as she walked away, his mouth open very slightly. _"That was it? That was all she had to say to me?! She didn't even thank me for the books I had sent to her!" _He was actually in shock; he had expected her to speak more to him like she did last night. He stood there as he watched her get farther and farther away from him. He wanted to hear her speak to him but she was walking away instead. There was a moment of desperation passed through him and before he knew what was happening or before he could stop himself he called out to her. "Princess Lutheriel!"

Lutheriel stopped when she heard her name called out and slowly turned around. Haldir was standing back there staring at her with his mouth open like he was about to say something. "Yes March Warden?" She asked as she began to walk back towards him.

Haldir honestly didn't know what to do. He didn't even know why he had called out to her in the first place. He stood there with a dumb look on his face watching as Lutheriel came back to him.

"Was there something you wanted to say to me?" She asked, looking into his deep blue eyes for a second.

Thoughts raced through his mind. He didn't know what to say; he didn't even know what he wanted to say to her. An idea came to him and he arched his eyebrow at the princess. "You never said thank you for the books I sent you." He said sourly. "Or did you not receive them?" It was the only thing he could think of and he was curious to know if she'd mention anything about the ribbon that tied them together with.

"Oh yes, thank you. I'll look over them tonight." She smiled and then began to walk away. She took two steps and stopped, looking back at Haldir. "...Oh and thank you for the ribbon, though, I was only joking when I asked for it...I hope you didn't go to too much trouble looking for the right color."

__

"Just joking?! She was joking about the ribbon?" Haldir yelled in his head, upset at himself for not seeing this before. He waved his hand. "No it was no trouble at all..." He lied. In truth, it took him four hours looking for the same shade of pink as the one that was in her hair. He had spent more time in one night in the dressmakers' shop than he had in his whole life.

Lutheriel wanted to tell him how much the ribbon meant to her but thought he'd just laugh and walk away. She looked back at him and he looked at her. There was an awkward silence between them. Something was happening, something unexpected. 

Haldir felt his throat dry up as soon as their eyes locked on to each other's, his body numbed and yet he felt warm inside. _"Just look away from her..." _He scolded himself, but he couldn't.

Lutheriel could feel her cheeks growing warm. "Uh...I should be going...uh-uh I'm going to see my brother now..." She said flustered.

Haldir nodded, not knowing what to say. _"Ask her to do something with you!" _He yelled in his head._ "This is what you need. You have needed companionship...a friend for so long and here she is and you're going to let her pass by. Stop being so arrogant for once!" _

Lutheriel began to step away again; she just wanted to get away from him before something else happened. "Good day..." She said.

"Wait!" Haldir spat out. He took a deep breath and calmed his voice. "Wait...." He said again.

Lutheriel stopped, hoping that she hadn't done something to offend him, just had no idea what it would be, unless she stepped on something that she shouldn't have. "Yes?" She could barely choke out.

"I know you are curious about Lorien and the outside world..." He began. "Those texts I had sent to you...they won't do you justice...Perhaps I could be a better assistant....Maybe...Maybe, we could get together later on tonight and I could tell you some of my experiences? Of course I don't care one way or another, I'm sure I have better things to do...I just thought-" 

Lutheriel beamed. "That would be wonderful!" She said with genuine enthusiasm. She didn't know if he was saying that just to try and be nice or if he really wanted to teach her, but she didn't care, just as long as she got to spend some more time with him. As for her vow to forget about him, she tossed that idea. How could she just forget about someone she had feelings for or at least thinks she has feelings for? "Where would you like to discuss this?" She asked.

Haldir tried to think of an appropriate setting for them. He didn't want to make it too romantic; she might get the wrong idea. "There is a place I go to down by the Nimrodel...We could go there..."

Lutheriel smiled. "That sounds great." Her heart fluttered inside. _ "Calm down...he's just going to give you a lesson...don't expect anything more from him..." _He warned herself. "Down by the Nimrodel...I think I'll be able to find my way there...shall we meet at dusk?"

Haldir shrugged carelessly. "If you wish, I have no preference." He crossed his arms; he didn't want to show her how excited he actually was on the inside.

Lutheriel smiled. "I'll see you then..." She said and then scurried off, trying to contain her excitement.

Haldir looked around to make sure no one was watching and when he saw that there wasn't anyone around he grinned and then turned away and walked off in the opposite direction.

**********

Legolas had been sitting in his chair for the last hour waiting for any word of Galadriel. _"When is she going to summon me?" _He asked himself. He hadn't gotten any sleep; he kept tossing and turning as he thought of what he could be here for. What ever it was, he knew it wasn't good.

There was a knock at the door.

Legolas gripped the arms of the chair. "Who is it?" He asked, knowing it was time for him to find out what ever he was here for.

"Prince Legolas, the Lady of the Golden Wood has sent for you." A voice came from the door.

Legolas got up and opened the door and found an Elven sentry standing there.

The sentry bowed to him and then looked him in the eye. "Come. She is waiting."

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	9. Revelations

Author's Notes: I've been emailed several times with people asking me how long this story will be. I don't know for sure but, I know it'll be at least fifteen chapters, if not more. So I hope you'll all like long stories :-) Please keep it coming with the reviews...I love them! Review every chapter if you like!!! Sorry to the people that could not review before because I wouldn't accept unregistered users, I wasn't aware of the fact that I had put the setting to that. You can all review now!!

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Those You Love

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Revelations

by Celebrian

"My Lady." Legolas bowed as he came face to face with the Queen of Lorien.

Galadriel smiled. "You may have a seat if you wish, Prince Legolas." She started as she sat down herself.

Legolas took a seat. He didn't know whether he should be the one to ask why he was here or if he should just wait until he was spoken to.

Galadriel poured herself some water and then poured some for the Prince. "I know you are wondering why I have called you to Lothlorien..." She spoke slowly. 

Legolas nodded, a deep fear running through him as he looked into Galadriel's icy eyes. "Yes. I have been wondering every day since I was notified that you wanted to me come here."

"The world is changing, Legolas. I fear it is for the worse." She said with a bit of sadness in her voice. "Do you know the stories of the One Ring?"

The One Ring.

Yes. Legolas knew the stories of the One Ring all too well. "I know the stories..." He spoke quietly, the thought of the ring made him fear deeper than before.

"A time is coming soon when this world..._our world_...will face that same threat as it had so long ago. It will only be a mere time before Sauron will try and take back what is his and cover all the land in darkness." Galadriel stopped, looking deep into Legolas' eyes.

"Sauron was destroyed..." Legolas muttered, trying to comprehend all that was being told to him.

"No." The Lady corrected. "Only his physical body was destroyed, his spirit remained. He will be gathering all evil to him once again. The Nine will be released from Minas Morgul...they will hunt the ring until it is found."

Legolas shook his head slowly. He could not believe any of this, but as he thought about it more and more, it began to make some sense. Orc attacks have been more frequent and the dark clouds that gathered over Mordor. "When will this come to be, My Lady?" 

"That I have no answer. My mirror only shows me things that it wants to show me. My heart tells me that this war that is brewing is not so far off in the future." She explained, taking a drink of her water.

"Why are you telling me this?" Legolas asked, he didn't mean to sound so rude, but he could not fathom why Galadriel had chosen him to tell all of this.

"There will be a Fellowship of Nine. Four hobbits, one that will carry the ring. Two men, who haven't even been born yet. A dwarf, from House of Fundin. A wizard, who is one of the Istari. And an Elf." She paused looking deeply into Legolas' eyes again, searching his soul. "Prince Legolas of Mirkwood, you will be that Elf."

Legolas' eyes went wide. "Me?" He asked, gripping the chair arms tightly. 

Galadriel nodded. "I have chosen you to represent our kin in this coming time of peril. There will be a council held in Rivendell to decide the fate of the ring. I can tell you no more because I do not know anymore." She stood up, walking over to her window and looked outside. "The time is near and I fear this will be unlike anything that we have ever seen."

**********

Lutheriel practically skipped as she walked though the forest of Lorien. She smiled inwardly thinking about her conversation with the March Warden. She didn't expect any of it to turn out the way it had. She hoped that she'd run into her brother to ask him how his first night in Lorien was; though she wasn't sure if she would tell him about meeting Haldir later on tonight for a lesson. _"I don't think he'd be to thrilled with that..." _She thought, imagining what Legolas would have to say about it_. "I'm being so silly. Haldir just wants to give me a lesson in Westron. I must remember that we are not courting each other...This is a simple lesson and nothing more." _

She smiled as she saw her brother walking towards her. "Legolas!" She waved, and then dashed over to him. "Good morning brother." She said giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Legolas returned his sister's kiss but it lacked the brotherly love that he usually gave her. "Good morning..." He said as he kept walking. 

Lutheriel furrowed her brows and followed her brother. "...did you have a good night in Lorien?" She asked him, hoping that he'd open up to her and tell her what was bothering him.

Legolas stopped and turned to his sister. "I hardly rested all night. And-" He paused, a chill shot through his body as he remembered his meeting with Galadriel. "I spoke with the Lady this morning..."

Lutheriel's eyes widened. "What did she say? Did she tell you why you were summoned here?" She asked with a deep interest.

Her brother shook his head. "Yes." He was unsure if he should tell her; he didn't want to frighten her with the new revelations.

"Legolas?" Lutheriel asked again, pulling her brother to the side. "What did she say?" She asked again.

Legolas knew that his sister knew the story of the One Ring and all the stories that went with it, but he also knew that those stories scared her slightly. Still, he needed to tell her; he could not keep her in the dark about this one. "She told me of events that will be happening soon. The One Ring and Sauron..." He paused, looking into her confused eyes. "Another Age of Darkness is coming. The One Ring has been found and its master is calling it back to him."

Lutheriel covered her hand over her mouth. "How can this be?" Was all she could say.

"Sauron was never destroyed, his spirit remained. Now he is getting stronger and sill soon be looking for what is his." Legolas took a deep breath. "There will be a fellowship that will try and take this Ring to Mordor, into the very fires of Mount Doom, and destroy it for good. I will be a part of this fellowship when the time comes..."

"Why can't you just take the Ring now?" Lutheriel asked. "Before Sauron gets any stronger."

"Galadriel doesn't know who has the Ring, her mirror did not show her that. She just knows that a Hobbit will be the ring bearer. Destiny has been all planned out and now I must just wait until the time comes when it time to fulfill it." He hugged his sister. "I must return to Mirkwood tonight and deliver a message to father. The Lady told me that you are welcome to stay in Lorien for as long as you like."

"I should come with you..." Lutheriel said.

"No. Stay here, you will be protected-" 

"Legolas!, I don't want you to travel back to Mirkwood alone. It is a five day journey...don't you remember what we encountered the last time?" 

"I will be traveling back home with a group of Lorien sentries. I will be safe." Legolas smiled. "Stay here for a few weeks and I will send escorts for you when you want to return home. Take this chance and stay in Lorien and enjoy it." 

Lutheriel didn't want her brother to leave nor did she want to leave these woods herself. _"I've been invited to stay...I should, just for a week and then I will return home.." _She thought. She looked back at her brother and nodded her head 'yes'. "If you wish me to stay here then I will but I want to come home in one week from today." She told him.

"Of course." Legolas put his arms around his sister. "I must get packed and ready to go, I'll be leaving soon." He told her as they both walked towards his flet.

"I'll help you pack." Lutheriel smiled. "It's a shame that you have to leave so soon, you barely had time to rest."

"I know. I would have loved to stay here longer but I must hurry to father." He looked at his sister and smiled. "So what will you be doing while you are here?"

Lutheriel bit her lower lip gently. "Oh, I don't know." She said shrugging her shoulders. "Probably just enjoying the surroundings."

Legolas nodded and then looked back at his sister. "Just promise me one thing...Please stay away from Haldir. I know the Lord and Lady trust him deeply but he has a hardened heart and I don't want to see you get hurt by him. You can not change people, so please don't try. You'll only end up getting hurt." He warned.

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Author's Notes: I hope you enjoyed the chapter...please keep those reviews coming :-)


	10. Lessons to be Learned

Author's Notes: Ask and ye shall receive. Here is the next chapter (and it even has Haldir in it too).

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Those You Love

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Lessons to be Learned

by Celebrian

"Namarie." Lutheriel said softly as she looked up at her brother sitting on his horse. "Tell father I love him....And be careful!" 

Legolas nodded. "Of course. The sentries are taking me on a secret route; one that orcs rarely use, I'll be in Mirkwood in three days." He assured his sister. "Enjoy it here." He said looking upon the golden leaves.

Lutheriel nodded, her body trembling inside. She feared for her brother, but also knew that the sentries would protect him very well.

Legolas gave his sister a soft smile. "Namarie." He said, then looked to Galadriel. No words were passed between them, just a simple smile. The Elven sentries awaited the Prince to give them the signal to begin their trek out of Lorien. The Prince gave his sister one final look and then nodded to the sentries. They whispered to their horses and the group began to move down the path and soon out of sight.

Lutheriel watched her brother for as long as she could see him. _"Maybe I should have at least followed him to the borders..." _She thought, sighing deeply. She cast her gaze upward and saw that the sun began to set. The golden leaves of Lorien had now changed to a fiery orange.

Dusk had come.

Lutheriel stood there a moment looking in the direction of the river Nimrodel. She was supposed to meet Haldir there so that he could give her a lesson in Westron. She had been looking forward to it all day, except now she was filled with worry of her brother's journey back to the Woodlands, and of course she remembered his warning about Haldir. _ "Maybe I should just go back to my flet...I'm really not much up to learning anything tonight...Haldir will understand..." _She thought as she turned the opposite way and started back to her flet.

She didn't get more than a few feet away when she stopped again. _"No he will not understand. This is Haldir I'm talking about. He'd be so mad... plus I was the one that asked him if he would teach me some Westron in the first place. I should go, if only for a little while." _She thought, turning around and heading in the direction of the river.

**********

It had taken Lutheriel quite awhile to get down to the Nimrodel but at last she finally found herself wondering the banks. Of course she didn't know exactly where Haldir was going to be; the river was wide and long. He could be at the other end or even on the other side. _"Ugh... I will be wandering this river all night. Why didn't I ask him for specific directions?" _She thought as she walked down the banks, looking for the blond Elf. 

"Haldir..." She whispered, her eyes wide on the lookout. "Haldir...." She kept walking, it was pretty much useless though, dark had already come. "So much for that...I bet he tricked me. He probably wasn't even planning on coming. I bet he is sitting back in Caras Galadhon having a good laugh!" She spoke out loud, trying to find her way on to the path to take her to the city.

"You're late." A deep male voice called out from behind her.

Lutheriel spun around to see Haldir leaning casually against a tree with his arms folded. He held a small lantern in his hand, lighting his face up. "I'm sorry..." She apologized. "I got sort of lost."

Haldir shrugged. "Well you wasted time..._my time_..." He paused, looking over her. "I suppose I could still give you a lesson though."

"Well if you think it'll be a waste of time, then maybe I should just go back." She said snippily. She was a bit taken back by his cold words and attitude. He didn't seem at all like this when they met earlier today.

"I'm here and you're here, so lets just do this." He said, motioning her over to a blanket that he had spread out on the soft grass. "Sit."

Lutheriel looked down at the blanket and then back at Haldir. Slowly she walked over and sat down. Her stomach fluttered inside and she had no idea why. _"Lesson...it's a lesson..." _She kept telling herself. 

Haldir sat down on the other side of the blanket, as far as he possibly could from Lutheriel. He looked at her. Their eyes locked on each other for a moment and then they quickly looked away. _"This is more awkward than I thought it was going to be." _Haldir told himself, as he stared down at his hands. He shook his head slightly. _ "Look at what this female has reduced me too! I'm acting like a love struck Elf...."_

It was Lutheriel that broke the silence. She refuses to sit the whole night in absolute quietness. "So what will you teach me first?" She asked. "Can I just give you some phrases and you can tell me how to speak them in Westron?" 

Haldir looked up. "If you'd like." He arched his eyebrow. "You aren't going to ask me how to say more endearments so that you can say them to your lover, are you?"

Lutheriel blushed, but luckily the night hid it. There was no lover. She only had said there was because she was half hopeful that someday she could tell Haldir that she loved him in Westron. She felt so foolish now. How could she say that she loved him when she didn't even know him. _"I guess I just fell in love with his looks..." _She thought but, she couldn't help to think that there was something else there. Her mother told her that one day she would find her soul mate. Her eldar. Could Haldir be the one that she had been waiting for?

"Well?" Haldir asked impatiently.

Lutheriel snapped out of her thoughts. "Uh.." She debated whether or not to tell him that she had no lover. "Well, I don't actually have a lover..." She confessed, trying not to look at him.

He furrowed his brows together. "Then why tell me that?" He truly didn't understand. "Why say that you have someone when you don't?" He was confused and happy at the same time. If she didn't have anyone, then that meant he still had somewhat of a chance with her. Of course, even if she did have someone, that wasn't going to stop him from pursuing her.

"I was thinking ahead for my future lover..." She replied. It was the truth too.

"What makes you think you will find a lover?" Haldir said with a slight snort.

"Well." Lutheriel began. "Everyone has an eldar. It just depends on how much that person is willing to look for them."

Haldir rolled his eyes. "Not all Elves get married and some don't even take lovers. Gil-galad for instance.."

"But what if Gil-galad never searched for her?" She asked. "And when Sauron killed him, it was too late. Even though we are immortal we can still be killed, we will never know when our time is going to end..."

Her words struck him deeply and he couldn't figure out why. _"Everyone has an eldar? Where is my eldar? Why has she never come to me?" _He asked himself. _"Of course I have never looked for her. It would just be a waste of time..." _

"You don't have a wife or a lover do you?" She blurted out. A second after she said it her hand clasped over her mouth.

"That's none of your business." Haldir snapped.

"I'm sorry..." She apologized.

There was another silence between them. This time longer than the first.

"No." Haldir finally said. "I don't have time to take a lover or a wife. My duty to Lorien is first, everything else is second. Protecting Lorien will always be my first priority."

"Protecting Lorien doesn't make you happy though..." Lutheriel muttered.

"How do you know?! You can't read my thoughts!" She was really starting to aggravate him now with all this talk of eldar, love, and happiness. If he was going to pursue her before, he surely wasn't going to do it now.

"No, Haldir, I can't read your thoughts!" She said sternly. "But anyone can see you are unhappy. You are so cold, you isolate yourself from everyone, you don't make conversation...You are the most arrogant Elf I have ever met! And I'd like to know why? What has hardened your heart?"

Haldir gritted his teeth together. "You ask too many questions, Princess!" He shook his head. "I do not need to listen to any of this..."

Lutheriel got up from the blanket and placed her hands on her hips. "Fine! I just thought I'd help but I see I'm doing more harm that good." She turned away from him. _"Legolas was right...Why didn't I take my brother's advice?"_

Haldir stood up. "I knew this was going to be a waste of time!" He huffed about picking up the blanket. "I wished I never would have suggested this..." He muttered and then began to walk towards the path.

Lutheriel thought of something she wanted to add and spun around, only to smack into the March Warden, who was walking behind her. Her hands instinctively went out in front of her to brace herself from falling or further impact. They ended up on Haldir's chest, she looked up at him with her wide blue eyes. She was too afraid to even move them off of him. He gazed down at her with the same wide eyes, his mouth slightly agape. They stood there unmoving for a few seconds, just staring into each others eyes. Like she had no control over her actions, Lutheriel slowly slid her hands up Haldir's chest until they wrapped around his neck. 

Haldir didn't protest and tilted his head down. His heart was racing a mile a minute. So many different emotions that he had never felt before were taking over his mind. He couldn't think of anything to say; his heart told him to not say a word and let the moment take him. Slowly they moved their mouths closer until they met, kissing slowly and softly. Haldir wrapped his strong arms around Lutheriel's tiny waist, kissing her with passion that he never knew he had.

Her body was a tingling mess as she continued to kiss the March Warden back. This was so unexpected, another thing that she could not believe. They parted their lips and looked deeply into each others blue eyes again. "My eldar..." Lutheriel whispered as she leaned her head against his chest.

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Author's Notes: Yay! By chapter 10 they are finally getting somewhere :D This is not over....much, much more to go! Please read and review ;)


	11. Knowing You

Author's Notes: Wow I didn't expect to get so many reviews for this story!! Thanks so much. I'm glad you are all enjoying it as much as I am writing it. I know some of you are craving action and there will some coming up soon as well as some very unexpected turns. So please continue to read and review!

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Those You Love

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Knowing You

by Celebrian

The moon cast its silvery light onto the great mallorn leaves causing them to illuminate brightly as if they were tiny lamps. Lutheriel sat quietly looking out over the Nimrodel to the other side of the shore. So much had happened at once and now she was trying to piece it all together. Without moving her head her eyes shifted to the left of her and glanced at Haldir. He sat as still and as quiet as a tree himself; he hadn't spoken a word since they kissed and that worried Lutheriel.

"Maybe I should say something?" Lutheriel thought as she returned her gaze back out across the river. _"...but what?" _Nervously she tapped her fingers against her thigh and cleared her throat. 

Haldir took a quick glance over at Lutheriel. He knew that he should probably say something but he could not find the words. It was not that he didn't enjoy what had happened but didn't exactly know what to do next. _"I should probably say something..." _He thought as he returned his gaze back over the river.

Again all was silent except for the sound of the water lapping up on the river bank and an occasional cry of a bird. Lutheriel pulled her cloak tighter around her as a cool breeze blew. It was getting late and she debated whether or not she should go back to her flet. The quietness was making her uncomfortable, she'd much rather have him say something mean and arrogant than this quietness. _"Just talk to him...It's not like you never spoke to him before..." _She told herself again, trying to find the courage to speak.

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"She called me her eldar...did she mean that?" Haldir thought. In one way he snorted at that idea. He had never been one to believe in such matters but, it also made him feel like someone cared for him. Inside there was a war going on in his mind, one side kept telling Haldir to fight and the other side told him to give in. He was torn between the two of them. 

Lutheriel couldn't take it anymore. If she sat here a minute longer in this silence she was going to go mad. With all her strength she could muster she turned her head and looked at Haldir. "Have you been in Lothlorien all your life?" She finally asked.

Haldir felt a little better now that the silence had been broken. He looked at the Princess and nodded. "Yes." That was it though; he did not know what else to say. 

"Well that went well..." Lutheriel thought.

"How long do you plan on staying in Lorien, Princess?" Haldir asked, it was all he could come up with.

Lutheriel smiled to herself. At least they were making some conversation now. "I thought about a week but now I'm not...." Sure. She was going to say. Now that she had deep feelings for Haldir she wanted to stay here with him. Only if he asked her to though..

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"A week?" Haldir thought. _"She's only going to be here a week...actually I'm surprised she's going to stay that long. Maybe she didn't mean anything when she called me her eldar...maybe I was hearing things...hearing what I wanted to hear..." _He nodded slowly. "I see-"

"Unless I have _reason _to stay longer." She hoped that was enough of a hint for him to ask her to stay longer...or forever. 

"Am I supposed to ask her to stay here?" Haldir thought as he looked at Lutheriel's face hoping to find an answer there. He wasn't too good at reading emotions though. He cleared his throat. "Well...I'm sure you could stay longer if you wanted. A week is not a very long time to see all of Lorien.

Lutheriel cracked a smile. "Would you like me to stay longer? Do you think you could put up with me?"

Haldir almost grinned. Of course he wanted her to stay longer but he wasn't going to be to evident about it. He shrugged his shoulders. "It makes no difference to me." He said carelessly. He still wasn't really comfortable with sharing his feelings. "I suppose I could put up with you...but could you put up with me?"

Lutheriel widened her eyes and bit her lower lip. "Oh...I don't know about that...." She teased. They both looked at each other and then laughed. "I'm sure I could deal with you a while longer."

"Give me a couple days...I guarantee you'll want to leave as soon as possible." He joked. He finally noticed that she had pulled her light weight cloak tightly around her. "Are you cold?" He asked.

"A little. If I would have known we'd be out here all this time I would have brought something heavier." She told him as she shivered a little.

Haldir had thought about putting his arms around her but decided that he wouldn't do it just because he didn't want to seem to overly romantic and caring. To his surprise though, Lutheriel scooted closer and cuddled up to him. Haldir's eyes went wide for a moment. His heart beat faster again and he didn't know what to do.

Lutheriel smiled inwardly, she couldn't see Haldir's face but she could imagine what it looked like. She rested her head against his chest. "Do you mind?" She finally asked. She was prepared to move if he said yes.

Haldir swallowed the lump in his throat. They had kissed a little earlier but that was a spur of the moment type of thing. He didn't mind, in fact he liked having her close to him. But he was having a hard time telling her that._ "Just say no. You are Haldir....you are not intimidated by females..." _He told himself. He looked down at Lutheriel and smiled. "I don't mind at all..." He said. Then the strangest thing happened, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. 

Lutheriel was a bit more than shocked but she didn't protest. She just listened his heart beat. "Haldir...." She began to say. "I know this is all moving a bit quickly but I just want to let you know that I do care deeply about you. From the moment I saw you, I knew that you had to be my eldar...my true love..." She confessed her feelings to him. She knew in her heart that she was meant for him and he was meant for her.

Haldir smelled her sweet hair. "I never did believe in any of this...any of this love stuff...but you have changed me, Lutheriel." He tilted her head up to meet his gaze. "You have changed me for the better, like a heavy burden has been lifted off of me. I feel free and alive, like I have never been before. I...love you." He whispered. He stroked the side of her cheek with his thumb. "And I...I would be honored deeply if you remained in Lorien with me."

Lutheriel smiled, her heart raced. She didn't know if he was asking her to just stay with him or if he was asking her to marry him. _"What does he mean by that?" _She thought. She had only known him a couple of days how could he be asking her to marry him. She hardly knew him. Of course he was her eldar, her true love...The one she was supposed to marry. "Of course I'll stay in Lorien awhile longer. I love you too." She whispered back.

Haldir breathed deeply. He wasn't quite sure how to put this. "I mean, I would like you to stay in Lorien until it is time we pass over the sea." He shook his head, so many thoughts were swirling in his head right now he could barely think straight. "This is difficult...What I'm trying to say is will...will...would you take me as your husband, Lady Lutheriel?" He mumbled.

**********


	12. Confused and Hurt

Author's Notes: For some reason my title wasn't centered in my last chapter. I was when I uploaded it didn't turn out that way....Anyways, hopefully this format will work. Enjoy and please review! 

****

Those You Love

__

Confused and Hurt

by Celebrian

Haldir sat staring off into the tree lines across from his post. He had volunteered for duty with his brother Orophin this morning, even though it was supposed to be his day off. He needed to get his mind off of what was eating away at him, so he figured duty work would cure him. 

He was wrong.

Orophin sat on the other side of the flet glancing over at Haldir from time to time. He could tell there was something bothering him but he wasn't sure if he should ask or not. Haldir had been more quiet than usual and he seemed less focused on his job (which was very odd indeed, for him). "Brother?" He started slowly. "Is there something bothering you?"

"No." Haldir lied never taking his gaze off the trees. "I'm fine. Just a bit tired. Now leave me be."

Orophin scratched his forehead and went back to keeping watch. If there was something bothering Haldir, he would find out about it eventually.

Haldir tried to get himself comfortable but it wasn't working. He tapped his fingers against his leg nervously as he thought about what had happened between he and Lutheriel last night.

**********

"Would you take me for your husband, Lady Lutheriel?" Haldir asked nervously, looking into the maiden he sat so close to. 

Lutheriel sat wide eyed as her mouth hung slightly open. She didn't know what to say. She did love him but all of this was moving to quickly. She barely knew anything about him other than the fact that he was the March Warden of Lothlorien. She needed time to learn about him, she needed to spend more time with him. "I...I.." She stuttered, shaking her head back and forth. "Haldir....I don't think I can rush into this right away."

Haldir's face fell and he immediately started to curse himself in his mind. How could he have been such an idiot to say that. He had let his emotions get the best of him.

"I do love you. I do. You are my eldar but I hardly know you. I would like to get to know you better before we get married." She smiled lightly. She thought it sweet that he had asked her but she knew that it was just in the heat of the moment that he had asked her. When he realized what he had said he would probably regret it later.

"I thought you said that I was your eldar." Haldir said as he pulled himself away from Lutheriel. 

"You are." 

"Then why do you deny me?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows together.

"I don't." She simply said. "I would just like us to get to know each other better. Let's just take this one step at a time. I don't think you meant to ask me to marry you. You were just feeling all these emotions that you had never felt before and the words just came out."

Haldir gritted his teeth. "Do you think I would have asked you to marry me if I didn't mean it?" He snapped. He looked at her and softened his words. "If we are each others eldars, then time means nothing. We are meant to be together. I love you, I've waited my whole life for something like this to happen. I never admitted it to anyone...I hated to even admit it to myself, but I felt alone...I _was_ alone. My brothers always had someone that they could care for...that they could protect and cherish. I had no one, until I laid my eyes on you. The most beautiful elf I had ever seen...and I loved you from that moment on." He confessed.

Lutheriel's heart jumped. All his words made her feel like nothing she had ever felt before. "Haldir...that is so sweet of you. I loved you as well but that still doesn't mean that we should get married so quickly. There will be a time for all of this...we have so much time...." She paused and got up to her feet. 

"I don't see why we can't just get married and learn about each other then." He said crossing his arms. 

"You don't get it do you?" Lutheriel said, her voice becoming slightly agitated. "Maybe I don't want to get married right now, maybe I want to travel Middle-earth and learn before I settle down. I do love you but I am not ready for marriage." 

"I was a fool to believe all of this...I curse myself." Haldir said as his upper lip curled up slightly. He rose to his feet. "I take back everything I had said to you. I do not want to marry you and I do not love you. Even if you are my eldar...I refuse you." His words were cold and icy. He gave her one final look and then turned and walked away without saying goodnight or offering to escort her back to her flet.

**********

Haldir sighed deeply as he kept watch on Lorien. How could he have been so blind to see that she would end up hurting him. He always knew it would turn out like this, so why did he bother in the first place. As much as he didn't want to love her though, he did, and that hurt him more than anything. The more he thought about her, the more he became angry. _"I am so confused....She says she loves me but yet she does not want me...It makes no sense..."_

Orophin looked at his brother again. "Haldir, I really do hate seeing you like this. If there is something bothering you, it's best you talk about it. Or if not me then speak to Rúmil at least..."

"I said there is _nothing_ bothering me!" Haldir said shooting his brother a menacing look. "Now if you do not leave me alone I will throw you off this flet."

"I don't care if you do, Haldir!" Orophin said, giving his brother the same look back. "Now if there is something wrong we should talk about it. Stop acting so stubborn...."

"I can if I want too." Haldir crossed his arms.

"Now you sound like a child." Orophin snapped. "Don't you see I only want to try and help you?" He said softening his voice.

Haldir huffed and looked at his brother. "Do you want to know why I'm like this? Then I'll tell you....I fell in love and I thought she loved me too....I asked her to marry me-"

"What?" Orophin could barely believe what he was hearing. "You asked that Princess to marry you?"

"Did you not hear me the first time I said that?" He snapped. "Yes. She kissed me, called me her eldar, we sat and talked, we expressed our love for each other, and then I asked her to marry me..."

Orophin was shocked but happy that his brother was finally showing some emotions. "And what did she say, brother?" He asked, fearing he knew the answer.

Haldir could barely say the words himself. They hurt to much. "...She said no." He looked away from his brother. The pain surging through his body. "She said it was to soon, that she wasn't ready to settle down..."  
  
"And you are?" Orophin asked.

Haldir thought about it for a moment. "I live in Lorien, I am the March Warden as well as the Captain of the Galadrim archers. I live alone....There is nothing holding me back from settling down. I would like to come home to someone after my shift, perhaps play with my children or tell them a story. To hold my wife after the children went to bed and tell her how much she means to me." He looked back at his brother and nodded. "These are things I would like, but things I guess I am not destined to have."

Orophin felt sorry for Haldir. He never knew his brother had felt like this. "Haldir...I didn't know...Just because she said not now doesn't mean that she doesn't want to marry you in the future." He said hoping that would cheer him up.

"I don't want to love her anymore. I told her I didn't. I want to go back to the way I was before...that pain was no where near as bad as what I am feeling now." He said softly. "I just want to forget about her."


	13. New Morning, New Beginning

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Those You Love

__

New Morning, New Beginning 

by Celebrian

It was another night of un-restful sleep for Lutheriel. By the time she made if back to her flet her eyes were already red and puffy from crying all the way back from the river. It felt that she had no more tears to cry but yet they still came. She tossed herself down onto her bed and sobbed into her pillow until the morning light shone though the window.

The warm sunlight lit her face up, but Lutheriel just wanted darkness to come again. Her head was pounding from crying so much, she wished she could just stop thinking, but she couldn't. Her thoughts kept replaying the events of the previous night. How she and Haldir told each other that they loved one another, their shared kiss, their cuddling, and then his proposal to her. 

That's where it went all downhill.

__

"It's too soon for this...I hardly know him. I love him, but it is too soon to get married. What would my father say? What would Legolas say?" She thought as she pulled herself off the bed and staggered over to the mirror. She picked up a brush a raked it through her tangled mess of brown hair. Haldir's voice kept ringing in her ears....

**********

"Would you take me for your husband, Lady Lutheriel?" Haldir asked softly as he gazed at her with tender eyes.

Lutheriel's mouth gaped open. _"He's asking me to marry him?" _She thought. It was a shock, never in all her life did she expect to hear those words... "I-I" What was she to say? "Haldir...I don't think I can rush it to this right away..."

**********

Lutheriel set her brush down and looked at herself in the mirror. _"I'm so young yet...I hoped to see the world...to travel...I love Haldir...but I'm not ready to settle down yet...Can't he just understand that?" _She thought as she tied her hair back. _"I wish I never fell in love with him in the first place...Legolas was right, Haldir broke my heart..."_

Suddenly she stopped her thoughts and watched as her eyes grew big in the mirror. She had realized something. Something that she didn't think about until now. Slowly she brought her hand up to her mouth to cover it, tears welling up in her eyes. _"What if I have hurt him....He said that he had never experienced love before and how he thought it was foolish. Then he falls in love and asks me to marry him and I..I turn him down."_

It was true. Haldir had said that he didn't believe in love but then finally got up enough courage to tell her that he actually did love her and she turned him away. _"I have hurt him...." _She thought sadly, wiping her tears away. 

She felt horrible. 

She was so upset with herself. _"I was so inconsiderate and so greedy...thinking of nothing but myself, not even thinking of how he felt. He must feel horrible and foolish..." _She could barely think straight all these new thoughts were flooding into her mind and each one made her feel worse and worse about what she did to him.

Another revelation came to her.

__

"And why did I say no? I love him, he is my eldar. He is the one I am supposed to be with. I know he was; from the first moment I looked at him I knew it. Why am I denying him?" Again her thoughts went back to that night....

**********

"You don't get it do you?" Lutheriel said, her voice becoming slightly agitated. "Maybe I don't want to get married right now, maybe I want to travel Middle-earth and learn before I settle down. I do love you but I am not ready for marriage." 

"I was a fool to believe all of this...I curse myself." Haldir said as his upper lip curled up slightly. He rose to his feet. "I take back everything I had said to you. I do not want to marry you and I do not love you. Even if you are my eldar...I refuse you." 

***********

Lutheriel shook her head. _"What was I thinking? I will never be able to travel Middle-earth and learn. Even if I could, I would be so scared too. It was nothing more than a mere dream. And here reality is....Haldir asked me to be his wife...and I said no. I said no to a wonderful, strong, gorgeous Elf, who is the March Warden of Lothlorien. Who I know in my heart would love me, take care of me, and protect me like no one else. He wants to share his life with me....He **did** want to share his life with me..." _She closed her eyes. _ "Oh Haldir....I'm so sorry I hurt you...I do love you...I do want to marry you..."_

Her eyes opened and looked away from her mirror to outside her window.

A new morning.

Her mother always said that new mornings always brought new beginnings. Could today be a fresh start for her and Haldir? Would he take her back or would he turn her away? If he did turn her away, she would understand why. _"I don't even know if I would take back a lover who was so cruel to my feelings. So if he does, he has a right too. I will not cry and beg to have him take me back, I will bow my head like a lady and return to my flet."_ She thought to herself as she slowly began to put her boots back on. Part of her wanted to stay in her flet and wait until it was time to return to Mirkwood but the other half of her told her body to go to Haldir and speak with him.

Lutheriel took a deep breath as she turned the doorknob and headed out. She looked up at the sky.

New mornings meant new beginnings....so she hoped.

**********

I know this chapter was a bit short but the next one will be a bit longer :D

Thank you to all those that have been reading and reviewing. I hope you like where this story is going. It's not over yet...not even close ;)


	14. Reconciliation

****

Those You Love

__

Reconciliation

by Celebrian

Orophin had been silent for the remainder of the time he was on watch with Haldir. He decided not to ask anymore questions about Lutheriel. He was actually surprised that Haldir told him as much as he did. The day dragged on and on and all Orophin wanted to do was go back to his flet and relax for the night. The sun was setting now and he smiled when he realized that he's soon get his wish.

"You can leave if you'd like.." Haldir finally spoke, looking over at his brother. "I know you are just dying to get out of here..."

Orophin nodded. "I will not lie about that." He looked over at Haldir. "It's about time we both went home for the evening."

"Not me." Haldir said abruptly. "I'm going to stay for another watch-"

"Haldir!" Orophin said as he stood up. "Stop moping around-"

"I'm not...moping." Haldir said defensively. "I just have nothing better to do tonight...besides...." He stopped and looked away.

Orophin shook his head. "Suit yourself. Good night, Haldir." He said as he began to climb down the ladder.

There were soft footsteps that were nearing the Elves. A voice came called out from below. "Haldir? Haldir? Are you out here?" 

Orophin stopped and looked back to his brother. "Will you talk to her or are you going to ignore her?" He whispered.

Haldir's eyes widened for a moment and then narrowed. _ "What does she want now??" _He asked himself. He had hoped that this wasn't going to happen; he had hoped that he was never going to see her again. To be honest, he didn't know what he wanted to do. Part of him wanted to send her away and part of him wanted to see her face again. Why was he so torn between this maiden?

"Are you going to talk to her or are you going to ignore her?!" Orophin hissed.

"Well, I'm not going to do anything with you here!" Haldir hissed back. "Now leave, Orophin."

Orophin gave his brother a stern look that seemed to say 'don't screw this up'. He looked at him for a moment longer and then descended the ladder to the ground and moved quickly and quietly away before Lutheriel saw him. He didn't go too far though, he stopped once he was safely behind a tree. He decided that he'd observe and make sure Haldir didn't do anything foolish.

"Haldir?" Lutheriel called out again. "I can understand if you don't want to speak with me again...but I wish you would..." She said as she looked up, hoping she's see the March Warden. "Please Haldir?"

Haldir listened to the soft voice of Lutheriel, fighting the urge not to call out to her. She had hurt him and he wasn't about to let her do it again. _ "Go away..." _He repeated in his mind, hoping she would just disappear.

Lutheriel walked along the soft grass. _"Where is he? I know he's out here someplace. I bet he's just ignoring me..." _She was a bit hurt if he was ignoring her but, she probably deserved it. "Haldir, please just give me a minute to speak with you..." She practically begged.

__

"Just give her a minute Haldir..." Orophin thought as he peaked out from behind the tree. _"Don't be so stubborn and listen to what she has to say..."_ He ducked his head quickly again just as the Elven Princess looked in his direction.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry I hurt you..." She finally apologized. If she couldn't see him face to face, then speaking a loud was the next best thing. "It was just so sudden...So unexpected..."

Haldir rolled his eyes. 

He had lost the battle.

"I'm up here." He called out. "I'll come down to you..." He said as he got up and began to climb down the ladder to the forest floor. When he got down he turned to her and looked into her blue eyes. "What do you want?"

"I-I uh, I..." She began, the words were much harder to speak now that she was looking at him. 

Haldir smirked. "That's all you had to say?" He asked raising his eyebrow. He almost enjoyed seeing her get flustered.

Lutheriel cleared her throat. Where could she even begin? How could she tell him all that was on her heart? She looked away from him and then began to speak slowly, it was better than looking into his icy blue eyes. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry...I know I must have hurt you last night-"

"You most certainly did not...I can assure you that!" Haldir broke in. His voice was filled with a bit of distress. "Is there anything else you need to say to me?"

Lutheriel felt her anger rising again. _"Why is he so bullheaded?" _She thought as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Why can't you just listen to me Haldir?"

"Because there is nothing you need to apologize for!" He retorted. "What is done is done! Let's just forget about last night."

Lutheriel crossed her arms and sighed. "But I don't want to forget. I do love you, I have not changed my feelings about that." She paused and took a deep breath. "I-I was thinking all last night when I returned to my flet...." Her voice broke off, and she had to keep herself from sobbing.

From behind the tree Orophin listened carefully. _"Haldir, don't make her cry...she sounds so sweet...just listen to her..." _He kept thinking as he watched the spectacle.

Haldir didn't want to see her cry, he never intended to make her so upset. He softened his face and reached out with his hand and touched her gently. "I'm...sorry if I made you upset, Princess." He said with sincerity. 

Lutheriel looked up to meet his gaze. "No...you didn't make me upset..." She whispered. "I'm just so upset on how I treated you last night. I can't believe I was so cold hearted to you...I-I..." She couldn't go on and she started to cry.

Haldir watched for a moment as her shoulders heaved up and down and tears fell from her eyes. It made him sad to see her like this but he didn't really know what to do. Should he comfort her or not?

__

"Take her in your arms you fool!!" Orophin screamed at Haldir in his head. He couldn't believe how dense his brother really was.

"I'm sorry..." Lutheriel said between her sobs. She couldn't believe how silly she must be looking but the thought of her loosing him scared her. 

"Come here," He whispered as he took her in his arms and embraced her tightly. He wasn't sure what made him do it other than it seemed like the right thing to do. He rubbed her back gently, hoping that he was comforting her. He really didn't know what else to do. He wanted to be tough. He wanted to be strong, but it seemed he was hopeless at the power of this maiden.

Lutheriel rested her head against Haldir, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. She wrapped her arms around him and caressed his back softly. She hoped she wasn't dreaming his, she hoped this was all real.

Orophin smiled. _"This is going better now...I should give Haldir more credit.." _He thought, as he peaked out from behind the great tree again. _"Let's just hope it keeps going..."_

"I'm sorry." Haldir said again. "I'm sorry I rushed into things and asked you to marry me..."

Lutheriel looked up into his eyes. "...That's what I wanted to talk to you about...That's what I have been thinking about all night and all morning." She started, hoping she'd find enough courage to tell him that she wanted to marry him, and hoped he'd still have her. "Haldir...I..I will marry you...if...you'll still have me that is.."

Haldir stood there with a frozen look on his face. He didn't know how to respond, he was at a loss for words again. "I..I..." He paused. "What made you change your mind, My Lady?"

Lutheriel smiled and rested her head back against his chest. "You are my eldar, I love you." She smiled up at him again. "I guess I was thinking about what I said about traveling Middle-earth and I came to the realization that it will probably never happen, and even if I did...I'd be to scared to travel outside of the Elven territories. But I had a great Elf that wanted to marry me and take care of me...."

"You still do." Haldir smiled. "Amin mela lle..."

"Amin mela lle." Lutheriel whispered back. She still awaited his official answer if he'd take her back or not. 

Haldir brushed a strand of stray brown hair away from her face and looked deeply into her eyes. How could he have been so mad at her. "Lutheriel, my lady..." He started and then stopped. He bent down to his knee and took her hand, kissing it softly. "Lutheriel, my love, will you take me for your husband? I know we just met but I promise to you, I will cherish and protect you for all eternity. I swear to you, I will love you always." He whispered. The words shocked him as they came out of his mouth, never did he think he could be so capable at a sentence so romantic as that.

Tears rolled down Lutheriel's cheek as she watched Haldir propose to her. His words touched her deeply and she believed every word that he spoke. "I do Haldir." She whispered back, her voice getting a little choked up. "And I promise to you that I will take care of you for all my days. I will love you always."

Orophin's mouth gaped open. He never knew Haldir was so romantic...he didn't even know that Haldir had a romantic side to him. _"Now kiss her..." _He thought as he watched his brother get up to his feet and take Lutheriel back into his arms.

Haldir hugged his wife to be tightly. "Never did I think that this would happen. I had always assumed I'd be alone...I'm glad I was wrong." Haldir gently touched her chin with his fingers and brought her lips up to meet his and slowly began to kiss her. 

They could have stayed like that forever but night was drawing near and they parted their lips. "Do you want me to walk you home, My love?" Haldir asked.

Lutheriel smiled and shook her head. "Not tonight..." She hoped that he'd understand why she wanted to be alone. She just needed to think about all the changes in her life that were about to take place. "I hope you understand?" She whispered, bringing his hand up to her lips and kissing it sweetly.

"I do." Haldir said, caressing her cheek with his hand. He felt the same way. So much to sort out now, he didn't even know where to start. But they were all changes for the better. "Goodnight, My Princess." He said giving her one final kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight." Lutheriel said returning his kiss. "I will see you in the morning?"

"Of course." Haldir smiled.

Lutheriel nodded and then slowly began to walk away, feeling light as a feather. Every sense in her body tingled and her mind spun as she thought about her years to come with the March Warden of Lorien. She also thought about her father and brother and hoped they'd be as happy for her as she was. Though she doubted that Legolas would accept Haldir right away.

Haldir grinned as he watched Lutheriel walk away until she was out of sight. Then his smiled faded and his eyes narrowed. "You can come out now, Orophin!" He said sternly.

There was a rustle behind the trees and Orophin came out from behind it with a sheepish grin on his face. "How did you know?"

"You breath like a dwarf." Haldir said snottily, but couldn't help but to break out in a grin. He was too happy right now to pick a fight with Orophin. He walked over to his brother and patted him on the back. "Come on brother, let's go home." He said and then with out waiting for Orophin he began to walk towards his flet.

Orophin stood there for a moment watching his brother. _ "So is this the start of a new softer, gentler Haldir?" _He questioned. He smirked and then began to follow after him.

**********

Author's notes: Big thank you's to everyone who has been reviewing. I never thought I'd get so many of them. You guys are awesome!! Please keep them coming!

Amin mela lle~ I love you


	15. A Letter Home

Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone that's been reading and reviewing so far! I just wanted to answer a few questions that seem to be popping up from some of you. This story will be quite long, I'm not sure how many chapters but for the amount of stuff I want to put in it, I'd say it'll be at least thirty...I hope that's not too long for anyone :-)

Second of all, a lot of you keep begging me not to kill Haldir off, I will not answer this question because that would give away the story...and where is the fun it that? But I will say is expect the story to take some major twists and turns along the way, some for good, some for bad. What I'm going for here is an emotional story, I feel if I can make a reader laugh or cry, or even smile; I'm doing my job as a writer. So with all that said and done, I give you chapter fifteen....

~ I have updated the end of this chapter, because I feel that Legolas' part got a bit short changed. I have added the conversation he had with his father before he left for Lorien. 

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**__**

Those You Love

__

A Letter Home

By Celebrian

Dearest Brother,

It's been a couple of weeks since you've left Lorien and I know you told me when I was ready to come home to contact you. But I'm not asking you to come and get me; I just wanted to let you know that I'll be staying in Lorien. I'm not sure for how long, maybe forever. All I know is that I'm in love with this forest, with its beauty, with its people, and with its customs. The Lord and Lady have been so gracious to me by letting me dine with them a few nights and spending time teaching me about the ways of the Elves. It's funny, I've been an elf all my life and I never knew there was so much more to us. I spent time in Galadriel's glade the other night with her. She told me about how the ways of the Old Days were before the Dark Days. It must have been amazing to live back in those times! But I'm rambling now.....

How is father? Is he still stressing about whatever it was before we left for Lorien? I hope not, I wish I were there to comfort him in these times. Please send him my love. How are you doing? I hope you haven't locked yourself away in your room as well. I know you must be nervous about this quest that you are supposed to join when the day comes. Galadriel and Celeborn have faith in you and so do I. What ever is to come, I know you will do your very best and succeed in doing so.

Now that I have said all that, there is something else I need to tell you. I've spent days thinking on how I was going to word this but all the words I could think of made no sense when I wrote them down on paper, so I will tell you it straight forward, tell it like it is. I know that you told me to stay away from the March Warden Haldir. I know you think he is a bad influence, that he's snooty, arrogant, and only cares for himself. It isn't true Legolas. I knew there was something more to him the very first time I saw him. I could look past his outward brashness and see inside his soul. I could tell that inside he felt alone and a bit sad, that he had a kind and caring heart but was just too afraid to show it. I knew it true that night when he escorted me back to my flet after we ate with Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. We talked and started out to have a good conversation until I had said something that made him get flustered. He quickly went from being nice back to his stone could-self again and he quickly took me back to my flet without so much a word. I know this is going to sound silly but at that moment I knew I loved him. I knew he was my eldar. Even though he was pushing me away, I loved him.

That night I could not sleep, I didn't know how to deal with all these new emotions that had woken inside me. I felt so horrible because I loved him so much, but he didn't show any interest in me. I didn't know what I was going to do. What if he could never return my love? Love is a two ways, both must love each other in order for it to work and I didn't know how I would deal with it if he did not love me back. I did not sleep that entire night and when the morning light had shone through my window I finally dragged myself out of bed and began to ready to see you. Then there was a knock at my door and when I answered it, it was a sentry holding some books that the March Warden had promised me. I had teased him the night before that I wanted the books delivered to me tied with a pink satin ribbon, of course when I told him that he made some snide remark. But the remarkable thing was that when the sentry handed me those books...there was a pink ribbon that bound them together. I wanted to cry because to me it showed that he did care. Do you think the march Warden would have gone to all that trouble if he didn't care?

On my way to visit you I bumped into Haldir and I thanked him for the books and the ribbon. He tried to act like he didn't care but I could tell that he was glad that I liked the books. There was an awkward silence between us, our eyes locked on to each other and we could not look away. Finally it was I that broke the silence and told him that I was going now. Just as I walked away he yelled for me and when I came back to him, he invited me for a lesson on Lorien down by the Nimrodel. I tried to tell myself it was just a lesson, but I couldn't help myself from thinking that it could be more. I'm sorry I kept this from you, I hope you aren't furious with me. 

That night I went for my lesson though it didn't turn out to be a lesson at all...at least not the one I thought he was going to teach me. Instead I ended up teaching him a little bit about love. Now before you go thinking that I'm about to tell you some kind of beautiful fairytale love story, I just want you to know that it isn't so. We got into a huge argument about love and how he thought it was only for fools. He absolutely irritated me so much I had to leave. I even wished I had taken your advice and never got involved with him. Now this is where it might be a bit of a fairytale. We both where mad and we traded some unpleasant remarks and both went storming off. I turned around when I thought of something else I was going to say to him, but accidentally collided into him. Our eyes met again and we both looked at each other for the longest time, until I felt like I had no control over myself and made the move to kiss him. We kissed and I knew for sure that he was my soul mate. I could just tell from his energy that passed through my body. I knew he was the one that I was supposed to share my life with. I know you think I'm crazy....

After our kiss we returned to the riverside and sat down. No words passed our lips; we were both so nervous and didn't know what to do next. I knew we couldn't stay like this all night so I began to ask him a few questions and he slowly asked me a few as well. Things started to pick up and we felt more comfortable with each other again. We talked for a while and then he did something that I never would have guessed. I hope you are sitting down...

Haldir asked me to marry him.

I was more than shocked, I had only known him for a couple of days and he was asking me to marry him. I didn't even know anything about him nor did he know anything about me. Now I know I just told you that I knew he was my eldar, the one I am supposed to share my life with but the thought of being married just scared me. There were things I wanted to do, places I wanted to see; and getting married and being a wife would just tie me down. I told Haldir that it was too soon for us. I told him that he probably didn't mean to ask me to marry him, that it was probably just his emotions getting the best of him. Well, he didn't take to that very well and he snapped at me, calling love foolish again. He told me that he took back everything he said to me and he didn't want to be with me and then he stormed off, leaving me alone.

I walked slowly back to my flet and didn't sleep again that night. The events just kept replaying over and over in my head. I was so mad at him but yet I still loved him. How could I not, he is my eldar after all. Through all my tears, I came to a realization, I knew that I'd never be able to travel Middle-earth. It was just a fantasy, and even if I could I would be too afraid to do it. Then another realization came to me and this made me not mad at Haldir anymore, but mad at myself. Here I had a wonderful Elf, who wanted to take care of me, who wanted to love me, and give me everything he could. And I turned him away. I broke his heart. The first time he feels love and I make him feel horrible. No wonder why he was always scared to get close to someone. His worst fears came true.

I wanted to marry him, I loved him. But would he take me back? I left my flet quickly and went to go look for him. I didn't know if he would talk to me ever again but I was going to give it a try anyways. I found him keeping watch at the borders and he did speak with me. At first our conversation was not going so well but I began to tell him how I was wrong and how I wanted to marry him if he still wanted me. He looked a bit shocked but he was pleased. He proposed to me again and this time I said yes.

I know this is all very sudden and I know you don't trust Haldir but please Legolas, please don't be upset. I love Haldir and he loves me. I would like for you to attend our wedding if you can, and father is invited too, but I assume he can't make it with all that is happening back in Mirkwood. 

Our wedding is to take place next week. The time and date is written at the bottom of this letter. Please say you'll come. Please be happy for us. I love you brother.

Love, 

Lutheriel

Legolas kept reading the last few lines over and over again. _"How could she do this? This is crazy...she knows Haldir for all a couple of weeks and they are going to get married?! Oh, I'll come all right but it won't be to congratulate them. I have to reason with Haldir...I have to ask him to keep away from her, she's too young to get married..." Legolas_ thought as he laid the letter on the table and walked out the door to tell his father of his departure.

**********

Legolas walked into Thranduil's chamber, throwing his hand that held the letter up in the air. "Well it's official...Lutheriel has gone mad!"

Thranduil, who was engrossed in a conversation with his advisor, slowly looked up at his son's outburst. He furrowed his eyebrows a little. "Legolas?" He asked. "Come and sit. What is this news your bring?"

"I can't sit, father..." Legolas paced back and forth, crumbling the letter in his hand. He stopped and turned to Thranduil. "Remember that Haldir I spoke about?"

"Yes."

"Well, he and Lutheriel are getting engaged...no not engaged...married." He corrected himself. "They skipped the engaged part entirely and are going from acquaintances to married.... It's absurd!!" Legolas threw his hands up in the air and sat down next to his father.

Thranduil scratched his forehead. "I presume that this bothers you?" The King smiled at the reaction of his son's face.

Legolas's mouth dropped open and he gave his father a blank stare. "Are you saying that you are not the least bit shocked or upset?"

Thranduil shook his head. "I do agree with you at some extent but Lutheriel is old enough to make her own decisions, Legolas. I know my daughter well enough for her to make the right choice." He folded his hands and gave his son a slight smile. "This Haldir...why does he bother you so much?"

"Father, he is arrogant and....and...he..." Legolas couldn't think of anymore words to describe Haldir, at least no words that could be said in public to describe him. 

Thranduil laughed. "That's all?"

"Father you're not taking this very seriously!" Legolas said getting a slight red in the face. "Your daughter is getting married!"

"You've told me and to be completely honest...I am happy for her. You can't protect her forever Legolas. She's not little anymore and she has a right to pick her mate. If Haldir is the one that she has picked, there is nothing we can do to stop it." The King's face grew serious. "Do you honestly believe that Haldir would hurt your sister in any way?"

Legolas grew silent as he thought about the question. Haldir did have a bad attitude and he was quick to temper but Legolas couldn't really picture him hurting his sister at all. Celeborn and Galadriel trusted Haldir, and if they trusted him with protecting Lorien, then Haldir would certainly protect his own wife. Legolas sighed. "No father, I don't believe Haldir would hurt Lu. I just think this is too sudden."

Thranduil nodded. "Go to Lorien my son. Talk to Haldir and Lutheriel, if you wish, maybe offer your advice to them. If they refuse to listen to it, there is nothing you can do but to be happy for them. You don't have to like Haldir but maybe in time you will come to learn he isn't as bad as you have pictured him. Just remember.... You don't know him well either." The King stood up and motioned for Legolas to stand. He put his arms around him and gave him a fatherly hug. "Please tell your sister, that I wish I could see her get married but I have serious business to tend to here. Tell her that I love her."

Legolas nodded. "I will father." He smiled one last time and then he began to walk out of the chamber room. He was still going to try and talk Haldir and Lutheriel out of getting married, but maybe his father was right. Maybe he should just be happy for the both of them.

**********

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To be continued in 'Confrontations'

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	16. Confrontations

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Those You Love

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Confrontations

By Celebrian

"So what do you think your brother will say?" Haldir asked Lutheriel as they walked towards his flet.

Lutheriel laughed. "To be honest...I don't know." She took his hand and gave it a gentle, loving, squeeze. "I did write him a heartfelt letter. I explained everything to him, I just hope he excepts it."

Haldir gave a silent nod. "And if he doesn't?"

"Well," Lutheriel started. She paused momentarily. "He's going to have too. I'm marrying you and that is final."

Haldir grinned a little, putting his arm around her waist and drawing her closer to him. "Good." Was all he said as they walked up to his door. He looked at her before entering. "It's not much, but I call it home." He said as he opened the door and let her step inside first.

Lutheriel smiled as she looked around. There wasn't much furniture besides a bed, two chairs, and a table. The fireplace looked almost untouched as well as the bed. She looked at Haldir as he stepped inside. "You aren't here much are you?" She asked.

"Not at all." He grinned. "I think the last time I was actually in my flet was maybe a month ago." He said as he walked over to the table and cringed when he saw the bowl of rotting fruit. Quickly he picked up the bowl and tossed it along with the fruit out the window. "Sorry..." He apologized.

Lutheriel smiled. "No need to apologize, my love." She said as she walked around looking at the few knickknacks he had lying around. She stopped when she came to a small painting of a handsome male and a beautiful female elf. "Are these you parents?" She asked looking at Haldir.

Briefly a look of sadness passed over his face. "Yes...They were killed a long time ago...." He shook his head.

"Oh...I'm so sor-"

Haldir put up his hand. "No need. I just don't wish to talk about it now."

Lutheriel nodded. If he did not wish to talk about it now she would not ask any further questions. She really did want to know about his parents though and help him from whatever kind of pain he was going. She waited until Haldir turned his back to her and then she climbed onto his bed and stretched out. "Cozy bed..." She muttered, as she snuggled her face into the pillow.

Haldir turned around. "Hey! I did not say that you could lie in my bed!" 

"Our bed." Lutheriel corrected.

Haldir gritted his teeth. "Still mine only, until we are wed." He corrected. "Get up now."

Lutheriel giggled. "No."

Haldir grumbled something under his breath and marched over to Lutheriel. He took her hand and started to pull her up. "Come on; get up..."

Lutheriel laughed. "Why?" She teased. As Haldir was pulling her up, she hooked her foot around his leg, making him stumble forward. He fell on top of her and almost blushed when their eyes looked on to each other. "I love you." She whispered, as she pulled his face closely to hers.

Haldir grinned. "Still my bed..." He said as he gave her a kiss.

"Fine." She said giving him a kiss. "I think I'll like redecorating your place..."

"Just don't make it too feminine. I don't want my reputation ruined..." He tried say without smiling.

Lutheriel smiled, as she ran the back of her hand down his cheek. "I think it's already been ruined..."

Haldir looked at her for a moment. She was so beautiful, so perfect... How was it possible that they were each other's eldars? He leaned down and kissed her again. "So it has..."

There was a loud knock at the door. "March Warden?"

Haldir rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes sentry?" He called as he got up from the bed and walked over to the door, opening it.

The sentry bowed and then looked up at Haldir. His eyes then shifted to Lutheriel who was still lying within the rumpled bed sheets. His mouth gaped open. "...uh..uh...s-sorry to intrude, Sir." He apologized.

Haldir furrowed his eyebrows together. "What? Speak quickly."

The sentry bowed his head again. "Sir, Prince Legolas has just arrived in Lorien. He wishes to speak with you."

Haldir's heart skipped. This was the moment he was dreading. "Thank you." He said as he watched the sentry turn and walked away. Haldir shut the door and looked at Lutheriel, who was now sitting up on the bed.

"Haldir let me speak to him first...." She said as she got up.

Haldir shook his head. "He called upon me. I should go."

"But I'm his-"

"Yes, Lutheriel, you are his sister. But I'm his soon to be brother in-law and he called for me." Haldir stated. "Stay here until I return."

Lutheriel pouted a little. She dreaded what her brother was going to say. She just had a bad feeling...

Haldir walked over to her, smiling gently. "It will be all right..." He kissed her forehead. "Everything will be fine..." He promised as he headed out the door.

**********

"Legolas Greenleaf." Haldir's gruff voice called as he entered the flet where the Prince was staying. "You wish to speak with me?"

Legolas turned around, narrowing his eyes at Haldir. "What did you do to my sister?"

"I didn't do anything to your sister..." Haldir snapped. "We are in love."

Legolas stepped closer to Haldir. "In love? In love? You just met each other a couple of weeks ago. How can you be in love?...you don't even know each other."

"Didn't you read the letter your sister wrote?" Haldir asked. "I thought she said she explained everything to you?"

"I read it. I'm still unconvinced though." Legolas crossed his arms. "I can not believe that you asked her to marry you."

"Why is that so hard to believe?" Haldir asked, glaring at Legolas. 

"Why?" Legolas asked a bit shocked. "Perhaps because you are in-"

"Incapable of love." Haldir said bluntly. He folded his arms and smirked. "I thought I was...I never believed in love. I could have cared less about it...Until I met your sister. She did something to me...changed me. I love her with all my heart."

Legolas wanted to believe Haldir but knew that he could not possibly love his sister with in such a short time. He shook his head and then looked up at Haldir. For what seemed like an eternity the two Elves stared at each other, both with a burning hatred towards each other. Legolas stepped forward. "I will say this once, March Warden, so take heed to my words. Stay away from my sister. She needs someone more than a March Warden." 

Haldir tried to think of something to say, but no words came. Instead he simply turned around and headed out the door. Inside his mind was a jumbled mess. He wanted nothing more than just to be with Lutheriel right now, but for some reason he could not bring himself to face her. _"I love you, but I am no good for you...Perhaps your brother is right I am nothing but a worthless March Warden, how could I ever take care of a Princess like you?"_

************

Lutheriel paced back and forth in Haldir's flet, he had been gone almost all morning. "Where is he?" She asked aloud as she continued to walk. "What could they be possibly talking about for so long...never mind...they're talking about us...I hope they haven't gotten into a fight..." She cringed as images of them beating each other up flashed into her mind. Lutheriel snapped out of her thoughts when the front door was thrown open.

"What do you see in him?!" Legolas said as he came into the flet.

"Brother?" Lutheriel asked a bit confused; she had never seen her brother so uptight before.

Legolas shut the door. "Have you gone mad? How can you be getting married to him? You just met him." 

"Legolas...First of all you can't just barge in here...Second of all...I love him and he loves me. Did you not read my letter?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Of course I got it..." Legolas took a deep breath and sat down. "Sorry for barging in...This is just so frustrating."

Lutheriel furrowed her brows. "Can't you just be happy for me? Can't you be happy that I found someone to protect me? Can't you be happy that I found love?"

"I'm happy but I wished you wouldn't have picked Haldir. Lu, He's not going to treat you right. I can see it in him-"

"Well that's funny because when I look into his eyes, all I see is protection and love." 

"Lu, you're being delusional then-" Legolas said shaking his head slowly.

"What did father say? You did tell him didn't you?" His sister asked.

Legolas nodded. "...He's happy for you...I explained how Haldir was...but he's still happy for you...."

Lutheriel smiled. "Then why can't you? He's changed Legolas...he really has...please just give him a chance..."

Legolas shook his head no. "I can't trust him, I'm sorry. I just can't."

"You're not going to stay for the wedding are you?" Lutheriel asked, tears running down her cheek. She wanted to be strong but this was breaking her heart. "Legolas?"

Legolas shut his eyes. "I don't want you to marry him, you can do so much better..."

"He is my eldar. I will never find anyone else."

"Because you are my sister...I will stay for your wedding." Legolas said as he walked over to her and gave her a hug. "This does not change my opinion about Haldir. If I see him do one thing wrong, I will hurt him."

"Thank you." Lutheriel whispered, giving her brother a hug back. "You'll see how he's changed..."

Legolas raised his eyebrows. "We'll see." He gave his sister a peck on the cheek. "Even if I do see a change, I doubt we will ever become friends."

"Do you know where Haldir went?" Lutheriel asked, noticing that he had not yet returned.

"He stormed out like a madman...who knows..." Legolas stood up and headed to the door himself. "Want me to go look for him?"

Lutheriel got up herself. "No. I'll go find him. I want to talk to him for a bit." She said as she opened up the door and head out to look for Haldir. Hoping that whatever Legolas had said to him hadn't hurt him too much. 

**********

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to be continued in "Pre-wedding Jitters"


	17. Prewedding Jitters

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Those You Love

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Pre-wedding Jitters

By Celebrian

"Haldir?" Lutheriel called as she walked through the woods of Lorien trying to find her fiancee. She knew he was out here, it was just a matter of finding him. "Haldir!" She called out as she looked up into the trees.

There was a rustling in the leaves above her. "I'm up here." His voice mumbled as he stuck his hand down to pull her up.

Lutheriel grasped his hand and he hoisted her up into the tree with him. She smiled at him when she finally situated herself in the branches. "Hiding?" 

"No." Haldir said as he gazed forward, not making any kind of eye contact what so ever.

Lutheriel sighed inwardly. She could just imagine what words where exchanged between him and her brother. Haldir seemed to be shutting her out again. "Haldir...My love, please don't shut me out anymore. If I am to become your wife, I want to know what you are thinking about and how you feel..."

"Would you not rather be with a prince?" He said glancing over at her.

Lutheriel was a bit confused for a moment but then she finally understood what he was saying. "Did my brother tell you that you weren't good enough to be with me?" She had a feeling he did. "Haldir you are the one I love. I would not care if you sold Lembas for a living.... I love you for you."

Haldir smiled. Why was he letting Legolas get to him? If anything he should be the one getting to Legolas. _"I have gone a little too soft...I don't feel like I'm the same Elf anymore...Where's my stoic personality that everyone knows and loves?" _Haldir thought as he wrapped his arm around Lutheriel. "I'm sorry...this whole wedding thing has gotten me a little nervous. I'm just not as comfortable with it as you are..."

Lutheriel burst out laughing. "Oh, I'm not comfortable with it either. I'm shaking inside." She leaned her head on his chest. "We'll get through this together and everything will turn out perfect."

Haldir breathed in deeply, running his hand through her brown hair. "So we're actually doing it then..."

"Of course..." Lutheriel giggled. "Can you imagine us in a hundred years? I wonder how our life will be? Will we still be in Lorien or will we be in Valinor...Will we have children-"

"I doubt we'll have children since Arwen was the last born of our people." Haldir cut in.

Of course he was right. Arwen, daughter of Lord Elrond of Rivendell was the last born. There hadn't been any other Elf children since her. Lutheriel smiled. "Well it'll be fun to try at least..." She looked up at Haldir to see his reaction.

"...." Haldir opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it and blushed. He turned his head in the other direction and hoped his face would return to its normal color in a minute. It hadn't occurred to him until now that being married meant more than just being married. Along with it came some things he had no experience in. "...uh.."

Lutheriel laughed. "That does come with being married you know. Were you expecting me to get my own bed?" 

"Of course not.... I just never really thought about..." He stammered. Of course he thought about being with her intimately a couple of times, but he wasn't going to confess that.

Lutheriel put her finger up to his lips to keep him from saying anymore. "Shh...We don't need to discuss this...I can see it's making you uncomfortable." She said giving him a little kiss on the chin.

"So why do you think your brother...hates me so much?" Haldir asked changing the subject.

"I don't think he hates you...he just doesn't really like you...." She smiled. "First impressions are very important to Legolas, and you sort of gave him a bad one. If you haven't been so snooty when we first came here, I bet you would have gotten along wonderful."

Haldir rolled his eyes. "So I brought this upon myself..."

"I believe so." She hugged him tightly. "Don't worry about it. Legolas will come to see what a great Elf you are and he will adore you."

"I'd at least like to be civil if nothing else." 

Lutheriel nodded. "So how are Orophin and Rúmil? I haven't seen them in couple of days."  
  
"Rúmil and Orophin are fine." A voice called from down below. "Are you two going to stay up there until your wedding or are you going to come down soon?"

Haldir looked down to see Rúmil and Orophin standing there. "Have you been looking for us?"

Rúmil nodded. "Since early this morning." He said as he watched them climb down from the tree. "Good afternoon Princess." He said with a bow of his head.

"Good afternoon Rúmil." She addressed Haldir's brother. She turned to Orophin and smiled at him. "Nice to see you again Orophin."

Orophin smiled. "So are you two discussing the wedding plans? There is talk that this is going to be the wedding of the millennium."

Haldir shook his head. "It's going to be a very small wedding. A select few are going to come. We are not having all of Lorien watch us get married..."

Rúmil laughed. "Let's just hope you are better behaved at your own wedding then you were at the last one you attended..."

Haldir shot his brother a death look; as if saying 'don't you dare tell her'.

Lutheriel looked at Haldir and smiled. "What happened at the last wedding you were at?" She asked with genuine curiosity.

Orophin grinned at Haldir and then looked at Lutheriel. "It was his first...and his last wedding that he was ever invited to...."  
  
"That's enough!" Haldir said sternly.

"Oh come on Haldir; be open with your fiancee. She needs to know all about you and your past." Rúmil looked over at Lutheriel. "Haldir had a bit too much wine that night and picked a fight with the groom. I can't remember what the fight was about; all I remember is seeing the groom being knocked to the ground..."

Lutheriel spun around to face Haldir. "You hit the groom?! Haldir!"

Haldir put his hands up to protest. "It wasn't my fault honest!"

Orophin smiled. "No one was making you drink..."

"I was bored. There was nothing else to do but drink." Haldir corrected.

Lutheriel raised her eyebrow at Haldir. "I don't think we'll have wine at our wedding. The last thing I need to see is my husband fighting with everyone."

"You mean you're still going to marry him?" Rúmil teased. "I'm just joking. We are really happy for the both of you. I hope you continue to stay in Lothlorien."

"I never want to leave this place." Lutheriel said looking around. "Our home will be here."

Orophin nodded. "We should probably leave you two. I'm sure you have plenty to discuss."

"Yes, the wedding is only two days away." Rúmil added. "If there is anything you would like us to do, don't hesitate to ask."

"That's very kind of you, but I think everything is under control. Lady Galadriel is having some of her maids prepare our wedding, but that you for asking." Lutheriel explained.

"Very well then, have a good night." Orophin said as he and his brother walked off towards the Nimrodel. 

After they were gone Lutheriel turned to Haldir. "Okay, now we're going to talk. So sit down." She tried to say as stern as she could.

Haldir did what he was told. "If were going to discuss my little wedding mishap-"

"Not at all. I want you to tell me about your past, be honest with me." She said as she gazed into his blue eyes.

Haldir went silent and furrowed his eyebrows. "I really don't think that you need to-" He stopped himself. Of course she needed to know about his past. "I mean, well...this..."

"Just start at the beginning, Haldir. Tell me about yourself..." 

Haldir took a deep breath. "Well...I'm the oldest of three sons. I serve as March Warden to-"

"Haldir I know all of that...Will you tell me about your parents?" Is what she had meant to say in the first place.

Haldir nodded. "I suppose..." Though he really didn't know where to start. "My father served, as March Warden to the Lord and Lady and my mother was Lady Galadriel's lady in waiting. Both were respected highly by both Celeborn and Galadriel...." His voice broke off and he turned his head away from Lutheriel.

"Haldir..." Lutheriel asked softly as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "What happened to them?"

There was a long silence between them, slowly Haldir turned his face back to hers. "They were killed when I was very young...."

Lutheriel felt saddened but she knew how Haldir felt. She had gone through the same pain, losing a loved one. "My mother was killed when I was young too." She whispered, feeling the pain come back to her. "She was attacked by a band of orcs on her way to Rivendell to visit Lady Celebrian. I had always thought it ironic how my mother was attacked and then a few hundred years later Celebrian was also. I'm glad she was able to sail over the sea and be healed by the Valor. My mother wasn't as lucky...."

Haldir looked deeply into Lutheriel's eyes. "My mother was attacked also by orcs. It happened right outside of Lorien. She was out picking flowers for a special dinner she had prepared for my father, when they attacked her. My father had heard a group of orcs in the distance, so he gathered up his sentries and went out to seek them. He was furious when he saw that they were torturing my mother. He threw himself in front of her but was speared through the chest by one of the orcs and killed instantly. Luckily the other sentries were able to defeat the orcs and get my mother back to Caras Galadhon. Lady Galadriel took care of her for a few hours but she wasn't strong enough to live on. Her wounds mixed with the grief of her husband dying...killed her...." Haldir finished telling his story and took a hold of Lutheriel's hand. "I guess that experience was what hardened my heart. I don't think I could deal with that.."

"Love makes us stronger. Your father loved your mother so much that he gave up his life for her-"

"Yes, but he couldn't save her." He put his finger under her chin and lifted her face to his, looking deeply into her eyes as if he were searching for something. "Lutheriel, what if I can't protect you. What if I can't save you?"

"I'll know you tried...and that's all that matters..." She whispered, kissing his lips softly, she pulled away and smiled. "It seems every time you speak now; I fall more and more in love with you."

Haldir smiled for second. "I'm actually starting to look forward to our wedding now. I mean, I still am as nervous as before but if being nervous means I get to spend the rest of my life you- then it's all worth it." Haldir stood up and offered his hand to Lutheriel. "I should probably walk you back to your flet; we have a busy day tomorrow."

Lutheriel took his hand and got up to her feet. "I can't believe tomorrow we'll be setting up for the big day. Lady Galadriel has me coming at noon for a dress fitting. She said she had a special dress for me to wear, I just know it's going to be the most amazing dress ever." She smiled, wrapping her arm around his waist. "I bet you will be busy too..."

Haldir sighed. "Yes, I'm meeting with Lord Celeborn. If it were just on issues of border patrol, I'd be fine with it but he wants to talk to me about marriage and how my life is going to change...it sounds quite scary actually." They both laughed as they walked down the long path back to the city.

**********

A shadowy figure stepped out from behind the trees after the couple was out of sight. He hadn't meant to listen in on their conversation but he needed to know why she loved him so much. _"Maybe Haldir isn't as bad as I thought he was. He seems to genuinely care about Lutheriel." _Legolas thought as he looked in the direction where they had walked off too. The Prince of Mirkwood smiled to himself. Perhaps he could get along with Haldir. He would still watch his sister very closely when she was with him but seeing them together, gave him a whole new perspective on the March Warden.

**********

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To be continued in 'Things Will Be Different' 


	18. Things Will Be Different

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Those You Love

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Things Will Be Different

By Celebrian

"You want me to wear this?" Lutheriel asked, holding up the beautiful white silk dress with shaky hands. Lutheriel looked over at Lady Galadriel who sat on the bench with a smile across her face. "You want me to wear your wedding dress?"

Galadriel nodded. "Not only my wedding dress but also my daughter Celebrian's dress as well." She smiled.

Lutheriel widened her eyes and shook her head putting down the beautiful dress. "I couldn't...I won't...."

"You will. I insist." Galadriel said as she rose out of her seat and walked over to Lutheriel. "A princess deserves a fine dress like this."  
  
"But..." Lutheriel stopped as she tried to think of the words she wanted to say. "I wouldn't feel right. I'm flattered that you wore this dress and that your daughter wore this dress when she married Lord Elrond." She took another glance at it and then looked back to the Lady of the Light. "Shouldn't you save this for Arwen?"

Galadriel smiled. "Arwen isn't getting married tomorrow...you are. After all it's just a dress, and nothing more." She picked it up and handed it to Lutheriel. "Go try it on."

**********

"My Lord?" Haldir asked as he took the crown of gold and silver, studying it carefully. Haldir looked back up at Lord Celeborn. "Thank you but I couldn't accept this gift."

"Haldir, you are my March Warden and a trusted friend. I insist you wear this for your wedding tomorrow." Lord Celeborn said as he sat down in his chair. 

"Lord, this was your crown that you wore when you were married to Lady Galadriel, was it not?" Haldir asked as he carefully put the crown onto the table.

"Indeed it was." Celeborn nodded. "And since I have no son to pass it to, I would like you to wear it." He added picking up the crown and handing it back to Haldir. 

Haldir looked at the crown again and shook his head in agreement. "If it is your wish, then I will not deny it."

**********

"You look a morning star..." Galadriel marveled as Lutheriel stepped out of the dressing room.

"It's a little tight around the waist..." Lutheriel blushed. "I certainly do not have your figure..."

Galadriel smiled. "I'll have that fixed for you. Other than that, how do you like it?"

Lutheriel grinned. "It's lovely, My Lady. I am honored to wear it." She said as she looked into the mirror and admired the pearls and gemstones that embellished the dress. She never had really ever felt like a princess all her life but now putting this dress on made her feel like one. "I wonder how Haldir will like it?" She asked aloud without really thinking.

The Lady chuckled. "I am sure he will fall head over heels." Galadriel walked over to Lutheriel and fixed the back of the dress. "I am so glad that Haldir found someone. I have always worried about him ever since his mother and father died. He was so strong and brave as he took care of his two younger brothers until they were old enough to live on their own."

Lutheriel nodded her head solemnly. "He told me what had happened. It is very sad..." She said quietly as she let her voice trail off, looking out of the window.

"Yes. I remember that day as if it just was yesterday." Galadriel shook away the thoughts from her head. "Let us not dwell on the past; let's look to your future...."

**********

"I'm very happy for you Haldir. Happy that you have found true love at last." Lord Celeborn said as he walked across the room and gazed down to his wife's garden. "Lutheriel is a lovely young lady..."

Haldir knew that Lord Celeborn was trying to get him to talk about his feelings but truthfully Haldir still felt very uncomfortable in doing that. "Yes." Was all he could say. _"Is he almost done here?" _Haldir thought impatiently.

Celeborn turned around. "I know your wanting to go but I'm not done yet, so please sit." He said to his March Warden as he pulled out a chair and patted the seat. "We first have a few things to talk about."

Haldir raised his eyebrows slightly and walked slowly over to the chair. A million things were going through his mind right now and none of them were good. He sat down in the chair and folded his arms. "Okay, My Lord let us talk." He said with a slight grin, hoping it would mask the agitation in his voice.

Celeborn was no fool; he had picked up the irritation in Haldir's voice but decided to ignore it for now. He took a seat across from Haldir and crossed his arms. For a moment he studied the blue eyes of his March Warden and then he began to speak. "Take care of her."

"Excuse me?" Haldir asked with furrowed eyebrows. Had he missed something? Of course he was going to take care of Lutheriel. _"What kind of advice is that?" _He thought.

"Take care of her like you protect Lorien. Cherish her love and give her respect." The Lord of Lorien said sternly. "This is a quick marriage Haldir. I do hope you know what you have gotten yourself into."

Haldir was a little shocked by the Lord's words. For some reason he had expected them to be a bit friendlier sounding. "Of course, Lord Celeborn. I intend to love, honor, and cherish her for all of my life." He cleared his throat. This next bit made him a little uneasy to talk about, but he would do his best. "And though I am not totally clear on being married and all that is to come with it. I can promise you that I do love Lutheriel will all my being. I am willing to learn about being a good husband."

"Things will be different, Haldir." Celeborn smiled, shedding his sternness. "Sacrifices will have to be made and not everything that is planned will go as smoothly as you think it should."

Haldir nodded his head up and down slowly. He hadn't really thought about sacrifices, planning, and things going wrong. "I...understand..."

**********

"I often dreamed about my wedding day when I was younger." Lutheriel said as she took of the dress and began to change back into her clothes.

The Lady smiled as she looked over to the screen where the Princess was changing behind. "I think all maidens dream of that day. I know I had, so had my daughter..." She laughed.

"What is so funny, My Lady?" Lutheriel said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"My daughter and Lord Elrond's wedding was a disaster." She laughed. "But in the end everything turned out beautiful."

Lutheriel thought about asking what had happened at Celebrian's wedding but she thought if Galadriel wanted to tell her what happened she would have. "I heard a wedding horror story about Haldir from his brothers the other day. I just hope that he won't ruin ours..."

"Even if he does, it will turn out for the better. You and Haldir are meant for each other. I knew it as soon as I saw you two at dinner that night." Galadriel said smiling when Lutheriel came out from behind the screen. "I can guarantee you that you and Haldir will have your quibbles and disagreements. Always remember though to love each other through everything."

Lutheriel smiled, sitting back down on the chair across from Galadriel. "Is that how you and Lord Celeborn stay so happy in love?"

Galadriel nodded. "It is. As long as we continue to never forget that we love each other everything is all right. Occasionally we do have an argument but we can never stay upset with each other for long."

"Thank you for all this advice. It's so nice to get some from a married lady." Lutheriel thanked Galadriel. "I do hope my brother can learn to accept Haldir. To be honest I'm not really sure why he is so upset with Haldir in the first place."

"It could be a number of things. He may feel like it was too soon, he might have a problem with Haldir's attitude-perhaps he can't see past it like you can." Galadriel smiled. "But for the most part I believe he thinks that his little baby sister is being taken away from him. All these years he has protected you from harm and now a new Elf is taking over his job. I'm sure he feels that he'll be alone now that you will be living far away from each other."

Galadriel's words struck a chord in Lutheriel's heart. That was the answer. _"How could I have been so blind not to see it?" _She thought. She looked back over at Galadriel. "How do I tell him that he isn't loosing his sister?" 

"You really can't, my dear. Legolas has to come to this realization on his own."

**********

Celeborn smiled. "I didn't mean to scare you Haldir. Marriage is a wonderful thing. After your vows are said you will change immediately. Things that you didn't understand before will become clear when you look into your wife's eyes."

Haldir couldn't help but smile. Even though that he had wanted to leave along time ago, he was glad that he stayed and listened. The Lord's words had been enlightening and gave him as sense of peace. He was ready to be married.

The doors to the chamber were opened and one of Celeborn's servants walked in. He bowed his head to both lord and warden. "Excuse the interruption, Lord Celeborn. Prince Legolas is here to see you."

Haldir cringed. _"Well I was ready to be married..." His_ sense of peace fled him and now a flood of dread and anger came over him. _"If he says one thing to ruin my marriage to Lutheriel, I will not hold back..."_

Celeborn nodded. "Send him in."

Legolas walked slowly into the chamber room and knelt before Lord Celeborn. "It is an honor to see you again, My Lord."

Celeborn nodded. "Likewise. Please sit and join us." He said pointing to a chair.

Legolas nodded and sat down. He couldn't help but notice that Haldir was staring him down. For a moment his anger rose. _"How can this be the Elf my sister is marrying?" _He thought angrily. He took a few calming breaths; he hadn't come here to fight with Haldir. He had come here to congratulate him. Legolas looked over to Celeborn out of the corner of his eyes only to catch the Lord giving him a slight nod of the head. Legolas cleared his throat. "Haldir...." He paused. This was really hard. "Haldir, I have come here to apologize to you..."

Haldir arched his eyebrow. "Apologize?" 

"Yes. I have acted ill towards you and I have no right too. My sister loves you and you love her. I guess I just got a bit jealous..."

"Jealous?"

"Yes. For as long as I can remember, I have always protected and looked after my sister. I could tell that Lutheriel was attracted to you when we first arrived in Lorien.... I just had this feeling of dread that she was going to be taken away from me. Then I found out that you proposed to her and she accepted. I just don't want to lose my sister." He explained what had really been bothering him this whole time. "I was jealous that she rather spent her time with you than with her brother."

Haldir tried not to smile. Not a cruel smile, but a heartwarming smile. Legolas' words had touched him. "I can assure you, I am not taking your sister away from you."

Celeborn smiled to himself and got up unnoticed and headed off into the other direction. It seemed like things were going well now. His work here had been done.

Legolas nodded. "I know you to be a good Elf. You have taken care of Lorien all these years and now you can take care of my sister too."

"I will take care of her better than I do Lorien. She is my first priority." Haldir grinned. Legolas wasn't as bad as he thought. He actually liked him.

"Good. I will still keep an eye on her though." The Prince smirked.

"Of course. It is better to have two watch over her than one anyways." Haldir smirked back.

Legolas laughed. "We better not overprotect her too much; she does have tendencies to get a bit feisty."

"I've noticed. What have I gotten myself into? She'll have me into shape in no time." Haldir said as he leaned back in his chair.

Legolas stood up. "Another thing good out of this marriage is that I'll finally get a brother. I can't say that you're the brother I've always wanted but I'll take you anyways."

"Oh?" Haldir tried to keep a straight face. "Well I can't exactly say that I want you for a brother in law either."

Both Elves grinned and gave each other a quick hug. "Okay...enough, enough!" Haldir said as he pulled away. "I try not to make it a habit hugging other males for an extended period of time."

"Of course not." Legolas grinned. He felt a whole lot better. In his heart he knew that Haldir would protect his sister and love her. He knew it all along but denied it. Not wanting to believe it. "I will see you at the wedding tomorrow?"

Haldir nodded. "I suppose I have to be there. I may come to my senses tonight and try to escape Lorien before the big day."

"See you then." Legolas said with a wave of his hand and walked off.

Haldir sat back down, still with a grin on his face. _ "Okay something is wrong with me. I'm joking and conversing.... I seem completely out of character. I guess this is what love does to you." _He looked around for Lord Celeborn but he was no where in sight. Haldir rose out of his seat and took a deep breath before he left the chambers himself.

**********

"Thank you again for everything, Lady Galadriel." Lutheriel said with a bow of her head. "Our talk has been helpful."

Galadriel gave Lutheriel a hug. "I'm glad." She kissed her forehead. "My servants have been working on the set up for your wedding all morning. It will take place in my garden, if that is okay with you?"

"Perfect." Lutheriel smiled. "Thank you for the dress also. Everything is falling into place now...all I have to do is wait for it to all happen." She gathered her stuff up into her arms and walked over to the door.

"Tomorrow will be the happiest, most memorable day of your life. I suggest you rest for the remainder of the day."

"I intend too. See you tomorrow Lady Galadriel." She smiled as she headed back to her own flet to calm the butterflies in her stomach. 

For tomorrow she would be married to Haldir, March Warden of Lothlorien. 

**********

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Author's Notes: You are cordially invited to attend The Wedding of Haldir and Lutheriel.


	19. The Wedding

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Author's Notes: I would like to thank _all _those that reviewed this story so far. I'm glad to see that many of you like it (which makes me keeping writing.... and even if a lot of you hated it I would still write it anyhow). This is my first long fic that I have written. I'm doing the best I can with it. I will confess that my grammar isn't A+ all the time...though I wish it were. I do run it through spell/grammar check on my computer...maybe I've got a faulty program or something, for the most part I catch the errors but sometimes some sneak by. I think there is also a concern that Lutheriel is a Mary Sue by some of you. I was hoping that she wouldn't be. I will strive harder to make her less Mary Sue (if that is possible).

I have ran chapters 15-18 through my spell/grammar check, so hopefully everything (or most everything was caught this time around...I hope). And I have added a completely new part to chapter 15 (A Letter Home). I felt that more could have been explained on Legolas's behalf, so I added the conversation that he had with King Thranduil before he left for Lorien. You may want to go back and read this because it might clear up a few things. 

As always review or email me at _arwen_evenstar20@hotmail.com_: ~Namarie~ ((sorry for the very long A/N)).

**********

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Those You Love

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The Wedding

By Celebrian

Lutheriel sucked her a deep breath in as Lady Galadriel's maid, Uruviel, fixed her corset in the back. Today Lutheriel, daughter of King Thranduil of Mirkwood, was getting married to the snooty Haldir, March Warden of Lorien. The last couple of weeks had been a whirlwind of emotion. It all went by too quickly. _"Am I doing the right thing? Of course I am...I've been through this conversation with myself about two thousand times. Yes, Lu, this is the right thing to do. Haldir loves you and you love him." _She told herself yet once again. If she had this conversation with herself one more time she'd scream. No turning back, today was the day.

"Take a deep breath, m'lady." Uruviel spoke quietly as she pulled the lacing tighter.

"I am." Lutheriel said as she sucked her stomach in as tight as she could. "I thought Galadriel said she was going to have the dress fixed to my waist size?"

"She did. You just have to learn to hold yourself like a lady..." Uruviel muttered giving the laces another tug.

Lutheriel was in shock that a maid had spoken to her like that. _"I do carry myself like a lady!" _At least she thought she did. "What do you mean?" She asked, trying to take a deeper breath.

"Shoulders back, stomach in, chest out...stand like a lady. I've noticed you slouch quite a bit. Now I want you to take the deepest breath you've ever taken or you'll never get into that dress."

Lutheriel closed her eyes. She smiled a bit to herself. It was actually nice being talked to like that for once, instead of having everyone say 'Yes, m'lady.' 'As you wish, Princess.' To be talked to like any other person was a nice change. Lutheriel sucked a deep breath in and held it while Uruviel snapped back the corset lacing and tied it into a tight, snug bow.

"There. Now you will fit into that dress." Uruviel smiled as she turned Lutheriel around. She nodded her head and walked over to get the dress off the hanger.

Lutheriel made a whimpering noise. "I can't breathe..." In all her years she had never been laced up so tightly in her corset. "I'm not going to be able to sit down." 

Uruviel chuckled lightly. "Then you won't sit, will you? Arms up." She ordered. Lutheriel put her arms up and Galadriel's maid slid the dress over her head. "Are you excited?"

"Of course." Lutheriel replied. "I'm nervous but excited. I hope Haldir just doesn't get cold feet and run off." For some reason she could picture Orophin coming up to her and saying that they couldn't find Haldir anywhere. She shook the scary thought from her head.

Uruviel gently buttoned the dress up in the back. "He wouldn't dare run off. Believe it or not Haldir as wanted to get married for a very long time. He's never came out and told me personally, but I could always see the longing looks of love in his eyes. He loves you, maybe more than any Elf male could love ever love a maiden." She finished latching the clasp in the back.

The whole time that Uruviel was fixing her dress in the back, Lutheriel had an ear to ear smile on her face. _"Haldir loves me more than any Elf male could love a maiden..." She_ thought dreamily in her head. She snapped back to reality. "I doubt that. Thanks for making me feel good for a few moments though." She laughed. "Are you married, Uruviel?" She asked.

"Oh no. I've never had the time. With my sharp tongue I don't honestly know if someone could put up with me for long. I serve Lady Galadriel and that is good enough for me." She smiled as she began to tuck some white flowers into Lutheriel's brown hair.

"You sound like a certain elf that I'm marrying..." Lutheriel giggled. She sighed as she looked at her plain face in the mirror. _"Haldir is so gorgeous...what does he want with me? Oh, stop it! You sound like a little child!" _She scolded herself.

"You look beautiful, Princess. Don't worry about your looks. All brides are beautiful on their wedding day." Uruviel tucked one more flower into Lutheriel's hair. Then she stopped to admire her work. "So how is your brother?"  
  
"Legolas is fine. I think he might actually be warming up to Haldir...unless it's all an act. Seriously, I think they might be on good terms. Or maybe Legolas just wants to please me by not picking a fight with him...Or maybe it's the other way around...I don't know. I do know that they are being cordial to each other...and that is good enough for me." Lutheriel smiled at herself in the mirror. "I love my hair. You do marvelous work, Uruviel."

"Thank you, m'lady. She looked outside towards the garden. She could see the busy Elves scurrying about, making sure everything was set for the wedding. "It's almost time..."

**********

"It's almost time, Haldir." Orophin warned. "You still aren't dressed are you?" Haldir had been behind the changing screen for the last twenty minutes. What was taking him so long? How hard was it to get dressed? He did it every morning, didn't he?

"Where is he?" Rúmil asked as she entered the room, with the crown of Celeborn.

"Oh he's still behind the screen..." Orophin said as he plopped down on the chair. "He hasn't said a word since I pushed him back there to get dressed."

"Maybe he's dead." Rúmil smirked to Orophin and then in a loud voice he yelled. 

Orophin chuckled. "Oh that would be a shame...Poor Lutheriel, who will she look to for comfort?"

"Perhaps you Orophin." Rúmil said loudly. He waited for Haldir to knock down the screen and grab a hold of their necks. There was still silence. Rúmil and Orophin looked at each other and shrugged. Where was Haldir?"

"...I will kill you if you dare touch my wife..." A growling voice came from behind the screen.

Orophin smiled. "Guess he isn't dead after all." He stood up, walked over to the screen and knocked on it. "Hal, what are you doing back there? Are you dressed?"

"...Yes." Haldir's muffled voice came from behind the screen. "I refuse to come out dressed in this...this...whatever it is that I'm wearing..."

Rúmil smiled. "Please tell me you didn't mistakenly grab Lutheriel's dress..."

Haldir made as hissing noise and then stepped out from behind the screen. Rúmil and Orophin nodded. "What?" Haldir narrowed his eyes, as he waited the onslaught of laughter. "What have I put on wrong or didn't put on at all?"

"Your pants." Orophin laughed.

Haldir looked down only to see that his pants were in fact on. His eyes narrowed at his brothers. "Funny."

"Haldir, you look great." Rúmil smiled as he patted his brother on his shoulder. "Everything is on and where it is supposed to be.... Oh one thing..." He walked over and picked up the crown and placed it on his brother's head.

"I shouldn't wear this." Haldir said as he looked at himself in the mirror.  
  
"Nonsense. Celeborn said to wear it and so you will." Orophin told his brother. He grinned evilly to himself. Orophin had always been the joker of the three brothers, and he took pleasure on picking on Haldir. Of course it was always just done in good fun and was never meant to hurt him. He stretched out in the chair and propped his feet up on the table. "So what will you and Lutheriel be doing tonight? Have you made room for her in your house? Did you have to get a bigger bed?"

Haldir gritted his teeth. "I know what you are trying to do. I will not tell you my intimate plans for my wife."

"Aww Haldir. We're brothers." Orophin pouted. "I don't want graphic details...no way. I just wanted to know if you had any romantic plans for tonight? I mean you really got to wow her on your first night together."

Rúmil nodded in agreement. "First nights are important. You can't tell me that you haven't thought about being with her like that, can you? If you can, then you have bigger problems then I thought you had." He snickered.

"Of course I have!" Haldir blurted out. He wasn't abnormal, what did his brothers take him for? Of course he was nervous on how to go about it all. He for a moment he thought about asking Rúmil for some pointers. _"No. I will not ask for tips." _He tossed the idea out of his head.

Orophin got up and patted his brother's back. "Trust me, you'll know what to do when the time comes. It's instinct."

__

"It's instinct so they say...it better be. I will not look like a fool on my wedding night." Haldir warned himself. 

"Hal, we got to get out to the ceremony now..." Rúmil said as he and Orophin walked to the door. They stood there looking at Haldir. "Hal? You coming?"

Haldir's stomach turned. He sat there white knuckled and pale. _"Coming? Do I have to?" _Slowly he got up and walked over to join his brothers. They both wrapped an arm around him and together they walked out to the garden.

**********

Legolas fidgeted as he leaned up against one of the giant Mallorn trees. He trembled inside as he scratched bark off the side of the tree. His face was pale and tired; he barely got a wink of sleep the night before. Elves walked by looking at him strangely. _"I'm not the one getting married, so why am I so nervous...because you sister is, that's why. Stop talking to yourself, Legolas." _He scolded himself. A deep breath he drew in and closed his eyes maybe if he could just calm his nerves he'd be able to get through the ceremony without ripping his hair out. His thoughts drifted back to Haldir and their conversation that they had in Lord Celeborn's chamber last night. _ "There must have been somebody possessing my body yesterday...did I actually give my 'sworn enemy' a hug and tell him that I was happy he was marrying my little sister?" _Legolas wished instead of giving Haldir a hug that he would have strangled him instead...or at least punched him a few times. Then his father's words filled his head.

__

"...I am happy for her. You can't protect her forever Legolas. She's not little anymore and she has a right to pick her mate. If Haldir is the one that she has picked, there is nothing we can do to stop it." His father's words echoed in his head. Legolas could only now hope that Lutheriel had picked the right mate. There was a loud clatter that shocked Legolas back into reality. His eyes darted over to two Elves who had just dropped a plate full of food on the floor. They yelled some unpleasant phrases at each other and then began to clean up the mess. Legolas shook his head. _"What else is going to go wrong today?..."_

**********

"You look lovely, My Queen." Lord Celeborn said to his wife as he gave her a hug. He smiled at her then gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Weddings have been happening more frequently, this is a good sign."

Galadriel nodded. "Weddings are always wonderful, My Husband." She agreed, walking over to the window and looking down to the garden. "Everything looks set. Perhaps we should get things under way..." Even though she seemed happy, her voice was distant.

Lord Celeborn could only wonder what was wrong. "My Lady, are you all right?" He asked his wife, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Galadriel spoke nothing for a few moments. She continued to look down to all the jovial Elves that were seating themselves in the garden. Everything seemed wonderful, even though they were not. "...I looked into my mirror last night..." She said barely over a whisper.

Just the tone of her voice sent chills up Celeborn's spine, knowing whatever she had seen was not for the better. He was afraid to even ask what it was that she saw. "What...what did you see?" He whispered.

"The same images that I have seen before. The Ring of Power, the Dark Lord, and the destruction of the world...." She paused and caught her breath. "The images seemed closer this time. These things will take place soon..." Her voice trailed off.

Celeborn nodded, not knowing really what to say to his wife. What could he say? "These will happen sooner than we expected then?"

"I can feel a storm approaching. It will happen very soon." She said lowly, her blue eyes seemed to flicker a neon glow and then faded to normal. She smiled. "We have a wedding to attend." She said taking her husbands arm and they walked out to the garden.

  
**********

All the Elves gathered around in the garden. The group wasn't many but there was a handful there. Some sat and some stood, but most all held a glass of water in their hand. The garden was decorated brilliantly with flowers of many colors and fresh picked Mallorn leaves hung like garland around an archway, where the ceremony would take place.

"Where is she?" Haldir's panicked voice called to his brothers as he stood under the arch.

Rúmil chuckled. "She'll be out in a few minutes Hal. Give her a few moments. The Lord and La-" He was about to say that even Celeborn and Galadriel where not even out yet, but they began to descend the stairs coming down to join everyone.

Haldir swallowed the lump in his throat and his eyes fixed on Galadriel. Her eyes told him that everything was going to be wonderful and that he should not worry one bit. That eased him a little but didn't comfort him a hundred percent. "Well I wish we could just get this over with..." He muttered, kicking at the ground with his boot.

Orophin glanced over to see Legolas leaning up against a tree. "You want to go talk to your brother in law?" He asked.

Haldir made a hissing noise. "I have nothing to say to that buffoon-"

"Whoa! Where did that come from?" Rúmil said with a look of sheer shock. "I thought everything was all patched up between you? Didn't you say that you and him talked last night?"

"We did." Haldir nodded. "Yes, we were cordial to each other but I was just being nice to him because I didn't really want to hear anymore of his incessant blabbering about how I should not marry his sister."

Orophin's mouth hung open as he listened to Haldir. "So you just played up the nice friendly attitude so that the two of you would get along? What if Legolas actually likes you now? Are you saying that you don't like him at all?" 

Haldir shook his head. "No, I really do no-" He stopped mid sentence as his eyes froze on the beauty that began to come down the stairs. Soft music began to play and everyone watched in awe. Haldir's throat dried up and his knees wobbled slightly.

Lutheriel smiled as she carefully walked down the stairs. _"Do not trip and tumble down these stairs..." She_ thought, making sure every step was taken with precaution. Her eyes locked on Haldir's pale face and she wanted to laugh. _"My poor soon to be husband..." Finally_ she made it down to the last stair and began to walk to the archway where she and Haldir would be joined.

Legolas had stepped away from the tree and stood next to Rúmil and Orophin. He couldn't help but smile at his sister; she was truly the most beautiful bride he had ever seen. His eyes shifted to Haldir and they narrowed slightly for a moment before returning back to normal. 

"She's lovely..." Rúmil said as he gazed upon the face of Lutheriel. He looked back at Legolas and smiled. His eyes shifted to Orophin who gave him a slight nod of the head. _"Why is Haldir going to be so stubborn about Legolas? The Prince is a nice fellow.... I still can't get over the fact that my brother was pretending to like him...."_

Haldir nearly fainted himself. He wasn't sure if it was the sight of his bride to be or if he was because he was so nervous, most likely it was both. He took a deep breath as he watched Lutheriel come to him. He smiled nervously as he took her delicate hand in his. Her eyes told him that she loved him very much. He only hoped that she could tell how much he loved her from his eyes. 

Galadriel stood before the two Elves and smiled. "We are gathered here today for the joining of Lord Haldir, March Warden of Lorien and Lady Lutheriel, Princess of Mirkwood." She said in a clear voice as she looked. She looked back at Haldir and Lutheriel and nodded. "Do you, Haldir, take Lutheriel to have and to hold for all eternity?"

Haldir looked into Lutheriel's clear blue eyes and nodded. "I do."

"And do you, Lutheriel, take Haldir as your husband to cherish in all your days?" Galadriel asked.

Lutheriel smiled and a tear trickled down her face. This was they day that she had always dreamed of and now it was finally coming true. "I do..." She whispered, looking into Haldir's loving eyes.

Galadriel looked to Celeborn and he brought over a satin cream colored ribbon and placed it around the Haldir and Lutheriel's hand. He tied a tight knot in it. "This ribbon represents the bond between you. Your love can never be severed or broken as long as you remember that your partner is your eldar. As long as you keep that true to your hearts, you will spend all your years in eternal bliss." He smiled and nodded. "I hear now pronounce you husband and wife. May the Valar shine down upon you."

Haldir and Lutheriel leaned in and kissed each other softly for a moment. Their hands held tightly to each other. When they parted everyone cheered, applauded, and threw flower petals into the air. Lutheriel laughed and kissed her husband again. "I love you, Haldir..." She whispered.

Haldir couldn't believe how easy that was. Why was he expecting it to be a lot more difficult than that? "I love you to, my wife..." He grinned and kissed her nose; he didn't even care what people thought about him acting all lovey-dovey. "That wasn't so hard after all. I don't know why I was expecting the ceremony to be longer..." He said as he led her over to where Elves where dancing.

Lutheriel wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head on his chest as they began to slowly dance. "I don't care if it lasted only a second, I'm with you now and that's all that really matters." She whispered. Her eyes caught sight of her brother who was leaning up against a tree. He seemed to be a bit lonely and out of place. "Maybe we should go over and talk to Legolas?"

"As you wish, Princess." Haldir smiled, but inwardly he loathed the idea of going over there. It meant he'd have to play up his 'act' again. Haldir nodded and took her hand and they walked over to Legolas. "Hello, Prince." 

Legolas nodded. "Congratulations, I hope your years to come will be blessed ones." He said trying to sound genuine about it, but couldn't help if there was just a hint of doubt in it. _"Legolas, don't be rude. You like Haldir now, remember?" _He thought as he gave them a half smile.

Lutheriel hugged her brother. "Will you stay a couple of days in Lorien?" She asked. She hoped that he would stay, she hated the idea of him traveling back to Mirkwood so soon.

"I can't...." Legolas shook his head. He caught sight of Haldir's pleased face when he said that he was leaving. "I promised father I'd travel back as soon as the ceremony was over."

Haldir tried not to smile but it was hard not too. "At least stay for some food?" He asked in a questioning tone. "We can't have you go back on an empty stomach."

"I have some lembas left over, I will be fine." Legolas nodded, noting Haldir's played up voice. _"I should stay just irritate him..." He_ thought slyly. 

Lutheriel kissed his cheek. "I'm so glad you came. Please tell father all about the day and how wonderful it was."

"I will. Now I really must be going." He smiled. "Keep in touch sister." With that he began to walk towards the path that led to the borders.

Lutheriel wiped a tear from her eye as she watched her brother go. "It feels weird not going with him..." She looked up at Haldir. "At least you are with me."

Haldir nodded. "I will be with you always." He said as they went back to mingle with the other Elves.

**********

For the rest of the afternoon and well into the night. Haldir and Lutheriel danced, ate, played a few wedding games, and talked with the other Elves. Rúmil and Orophin were both very pleased that their brother found his true love and wished nothing for the best for them in the coming years. The moon was hung high over the trees of Lorien and guest began to return to their flets for the evening. 

Haldir couldn't help but feel very nervous. Soon he and his bride would return to his flet and spend their first night as a married couple. "Would you like some more cake?" He offered.

Lutheriel laughed. "No thank you. I've had my share of cake for a year!" She yawned, and looked into his eyes. "...Do you think we should return to your flet?" She asked.

"Uhhhh...would you like something more to drink?" He asked, picking up a flask of wine.

"No thank you." She said again. "Haldir, I really want to get out of this dress. It's.... Crushing me."

Haldir smirked. "It does seem like it would be uncomfortable." He stood up and took her hand. "If you wish that we returned to the flet for the evening then I will not deny you." He spoke with much boldness as he could muster up.

Lutheriel nodded, with a slight twinkle in her eye. They both thanked and bid their farewells to everyone. Haldir kissed Lutheriel's cheek and they walked off towards their flet. Lutheriel felt the nervousness in her but it made her excited at the same time. All the way home she had smile across her face as she anticipated what would come next.

***********

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. The next chapter will be up sooner than this one.... I promise. ~Celebrian~ 


	20. First Night

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Author's Notes: Oh goodness....please don't beat me for not updating in like, oh, a good three or four months....I've been so busy and when I had the free time, I just was way too tired to write. I have even thought about leaving the story where it was but there is so much more to this story that needs be told. Thank you to all the loyal readers and the readers that have recently started to read this tale. I'll try to get back on a regular schedule now....I won't keep you waiting any longer....

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Those You Love

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First Night

By Celebrian

The walk back to the flet was a silent one, the only noise was the rustle of fallen leaves beneath the couple's feet. Lutheriel looked up at her husband as he walked looking straight ahead. She took a hold of his hand and squeezed it gently. "...Haldir, are you alright, my love?" She spoke softly.

"Of course." He replied back with a short nod of his head. He looked down at her and gave her the best smile he could. "Why would I not be alright?"

Lutheriel shrugged her shoulders slightly and smiled back at him. "Oh, I don't know...we just got married and now we're heading back to your...I mean our flet...to spend our first night together...I'm nervous." 

Haldir cleared his throat. "Well, I am certainly not nervous at all." He lied. He knew that she knew that he was lying too, but at least this way it looked like he was still as strong and confident as he ever was. The flet was nearing and he still was trying to think of what to do when they got in there...He knew what he was supposed to do...but he didn't know how to initiate it. _"Why is this so hard? This is nothing like planning for a battle...which I would rather be doing at the moment...It's so much easier..." _

"The wedding was lovely, wasn't it?" Lutheriel spoke out loud as she recalled the events from earlier on. "You looked so handsome when I came down the stairs...You reminded me of a prince."

__

"Too bad I am not a prince...Instead I am just a lowly march warden." He thought bitterly to himself. He needed to stop thinking like that. He had her love, what more did he need? Absolutely nothing. Haldir turned the knob to his door and allowed his bride to walk in first. "After you." He said bluntly.

Lutheriel smirked at her husband's mannerisms. _"We will have to work on those." _She made a mental note to herself as she walked into the dimly lit flet. She headed over to the oil lamp and turned the wick up to brighten the room. Haldir had shut the door behind him and was resting against it looking back at Lutheriel. Lutheriel turned to her husband and motioned her finger in a come hither fashion.

He stood there frozen unable to move, like he was attached to the door. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat and pried himself away from the door, walking slowly over to Lutheriel. When he came near her, he could feel all his worries and doubts washing away. A smile crept onto his face as she put her arms around him and hugged him close. He gently wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek against the top of her head. Her hair smelled so sweet, like apple blossoms with a hint of mint mixed in for good measure. "...I love you..." He whispered to her, as he rocked her gently back and forth.

Lutheriel grinned. "I love you too, darling." How lucky was she to have such a wonderful husband to take care of her. _ "I would not trade this moment for anything..." _She thought to herself as she glanced down at the desk they were standing near. A parchment envelope with the seal of Thranduil was placed next to a stack of books. Scrawled across the front was her name in a hand writing that was all too familiar to her. _"I wonder what this is?" _She asked herself as she reached over and picked the envelope up while she was still in her husband's embrace.

"What's that?" Haldir asked, noticing that his wife was a little preoccupied with something other than him at the moment. He let go of her and watched her walk over closer to the lamp.

"It's from Legolas...I'm not sure what it is." She said as she moved her fingers across the parchment envelope to feel it's contents. "There is something other than a letter in here." She said turning her back to Haldir to face the lamp. She picked up the brass letter opener off the desk and slid it across the top of the envelope, pulling out the paper inside. 

__

Dearest Sister,

I came across this necklace of mother's while I was going through an old trunk in the palace. I remembered how you always admired it when you were younger. I also remembered mother saying that one day it would be yours. I think she would have liked to have given it to you on your wedding day.

Love, 

Brother

Lutheriel placed the letter on the desk and pulled out the necklace, holding it up to the light. She gasped slightly as she pulled the necklace out. "I remember this..." She thought as she slid her fingers over the silver circular pendant. The green stone in the center was sparkling as the light from the room hit it. Though it was a beautiful necklace it was also a powerful necklace. It had once saved her mother's life.

Haldir crossed his arms and sighed heavily. "What does your brother have to say? Is he insulting me?"

Lutheriel raised her eyebrow. "Not everything has to do with you, darling." She said trying not to smirk. Lutheriel could be just as cocky as he could, of course she was only teasing him.

"It's a beautiful necklace." Haldir said as he noticed the item in his wife's hand.

Lutheriel nodded. "It was my mother's. Legolas found it in a trunk of old junk back home. When my mother held me on her lap when I was little, I would always hold it in my hands admiring the beauty." Lutheriel stepped closer to her husband. "It's a very special necklace. This stone is a rare gem from the Misty Mountains. The green stone glows blue when orcs are near...It saved my mother's life once.......I just wished she wore it all the time, if she had, she might still be with us today."

Haldir studied the necklace but before he could say anything else about it, he felt Lutheriel's arms wrap around his neck, fastening the necklace to him. "Wh-what are you doing?" 

Lutheriel stepped back and smiled after she fastened it on him. "I want you to have it. Your job is dangerous and it will give you a little bit of an advantage when the enemy is near but, let us hope that it never turns blue." She leaned forward and met her husband's lips. 

Haldir welcomed the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist. The gift she gave him was more than he could ask for, in fact he wished that she didn't offer it to him but keep it for herself. "You should keep it..." He whispered in between kisses.

"It's my wedding gift to you." She whispered back, sliding her hands beneath his tunic feeling his bare flesh for the first time. His muscles tensed up as her warm fingers caressed his chest.

Haldir forgot all about the necklace as he felt his wife touching him in ways he never felt before. He couldn't even imagine anything feeling this good. _ "Will this keep getting better?" _He asked himself as he kissed her neck and throat.

A soft moan escaped Lutheriel's mouth as she indulged in Haldir's perfect kisses across her neck. _"And he thinks he's a bad lover..." _She thought as she unbuttoned his tunic letting it slide off his shoulders and onto the floor. Lutheriel broke away from his embrace and looked at his chest, seeing for the first time those muscles that she only had felt beneath his clothes. She smiled at him. "You're gorgeous." 

Haldir felt a little uncomfortable standing half naked in front of a female (even if she was his wife). "Ummm...Thank you..." was all he could think of to reply. He could feel the warmth rushing to his cheeks, wishing that it would just stop, why must he feel so embarrassed about this? He seriously doubted that Orophin or Rúmil ever had felt this way while they were with their lovers.

Lutheriel grinned at Haldir's awkwardness. She felt bad for him, but at the same time she found it rather cute. "Would it help maybe if I lost my top too?" She asked without getting too embarrassed herself. Lutheriel slid her fingers over her laced top and began to pluck the lacing out gently. Haldir's first instinct was to turn around but he knew that she wanted him to watch her. Lutheriel's top fell to the floor and she stood there looking at her husband with loving eyes. 

Haldir stood there frozen in his place, looking at her. Slowly and carefully he took a step closer to her. At this very moment he wanted to be with her in ways that he never really had given much thought to in his entire life. He put his arms around her pulling her close, feeling her warm chest against his own. Her big blue eyes sparkled as they gazed back into his. Everything felt so perfect at this very second. Lutheriel began to lead her husband towards the bed, her heart racing a mile a second, anticipating what was to come next. Haldir laid Lutheriel back onto the their bed gently, leaning over her, kissing her lips.

Her hands tangled themselves into Haldir's golden hair and then slowly stroked down his muscular back. She let out a gasp as she felt his lips glide over her throat, down her collarbone, and then across her breasts. Every nerve in her body was now woken up tingling with a most wonderful sensation. Lutheriel brought her hands around to the front of Haldir and undid his pants, letting them slide off his hips. While she was doing that she didn't even notice that Haldir was removing her skirt, until she felt his hands caress her inner thigh. Both of them looked at each other for a moment, silently asking one another if it was okay to proceed. They told each other it was by kissing each other. Haldir moved over his wife, hoping that everything that he was about to do was going to please her in everyway possible. 

"Lutheriel," He said looking down at her. "I know I said this before...but thank you for showing me what it is to love."

Lutheriel smiled back, placing her hands on his strong shoulders. "I thank you for giving me the chance to let me show you what love is." She whispered back letting her hands slide over his back.

The wick in the oil lamp burned out and all the room went dark, giving them the perfect atmosphere for the mood. No sounds filled the night air except those of a husband and wife who truly loved each other more than they ever felt possible. This was the beginning of their lives together, but little did they know that....

...this was also the beginning of the end.....

To be continued.

A/N: I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to read this fic. I hope that I found some of my older readers as well as some new ones. I can't believe how much I missed writing this fic. Look for updates more frequently as well. This story is far from over....so much to tell......

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	21. Looking Back

Author's Notes: Here's another chapter for you all. Sorry it took a while when I promised it would be here sooner. I've been having some really bad writer's block as of lately...Anyhow, as always read and review.

Those You Love

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Looking Back

By Celebrian

Lutheriel walked over to the small bookcase and pulled a leather bound book off of the shelf and returned to her seat, snuggling up beneath her wool blanket. It had been only been about thirty years since she had married the March Warden of Lorien, Haldir. Thirty years was such a short time for the immortal elves only seeming like mere days. Even though it was short there was plenty of memories both good and bad that the couple shared.

10th of Spring:

It's been only a week since Haldir and I have been married and already there are conflicts. Sometimes he can be the sweetest thing in the world and other times he can be as mean as a troll. Legolas was right when he said that there would be some problems in this marriage. I guess I was just hoping that he'd be wrong. And yet, I know that we'll get through this. After all being married is very new to us.

Lutheriel chuckled as she read the first passage in her journal. She grinned wide and then went on to read the next.

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20th of Spring:

I am married to the grumpiest Elf!! I decided that I was going to cook his favorite dish tonight to see if I could get cheer him up but instead of a 'thank you, my wife' I get. 'I'm not hungry. I'm going to bed.' Isn't he just the sweetest?

Lutheriel flipped through the pages of her journal. She knew it had to get better someplace.

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28th of Summer:

Haldir gave me a wonderful surprise this evening. When he got home from his patrol he took me down to the Nimrodel and we watched the stars together. It was beautiful just sitting there side by side, gazing up at the bright stars. It reminded me of a very special moment when we first started meeting each other. Our relationship has been growing stronger by the days that pass. Even the fights and conflicts make our love deeper. It took sometime (many, many years) but Legolas and Haldir are civil with each other now. I can't say that they are the best of friends but at least they are friendly to one another.

The candlelight flickered as the front door to the flet opened up. A chilly breeze blew through the room and then the door was shut. Haldir leaned his bow up against the doorway and hung his cloak on the hook. "Damn cold wind..." He muttered shaking his head before proceeding into the room where his wife sat.

"Haldir?" Lutheriel called out. "Is that you darling?" She put down her journal on the wooden table and stood up from her chair.

Haldir appeared in the doorway. "I'm back." He bluntly said in his typical way. He had been on sentry duty since early this morning. He was actually supposed to still be there but for some reason he was home now.

"You're home early." Lutheriel smiled. "That's nice..."

"I was ordered home. Which if I had it my way, I'd still be out there."

"Darling, if you had it your way, we'd be living out there." Lutheriel teased, coming over to her husband putting her arms around his neck and giving him a kiss. Haldir rarely refused a kiss and what a better way to warm him up from the cold.

It was unusual for it to be cold and windy in Lorien. Most of the time the weather outside of the forest did not effect it. It was strange. Haldir suspected that something was not right, though he had not got word from either Galadriel or Celeborn. "It's cold out there." Haldir said as he broke the kiss.

Lutheriel nodded her head. "I know, I felt the breeze when the door was opened. It's weird because the air outside of Lorien shouldn't even be that cold because it is summer. I could understand if it was a winter chill." She leaned her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm just glad you're back. I feel safe now."

He kissed the top of her head, though his mind was still thinking about the peculiar occurrences. He would go to the Queen tomorrow and see if he could get some sort of answers. Of course it could be nothing. "I'm on duty in the morning but I'll be home for dinner."

"Again?" She sighed.

"Well it is my job." He said looking down in to her saddened eyes. A twinge of pain ached in his heart. Deep down inside he hated having to leave her alone. Sometimes he left her for a week at a time, because he was on border patrol. But like he said, it was his job. "I'll be home for dinner and I'm not on duty until tomorrow night. .....We can spend the entire morning together."

Lutheriel smiled up at her husband. "I should make you a special dinner tomorrow night then." He playfully poked Haldir in the side. "Now don't you not show up for it or I swear I will never speak to you again."

Haldir smirked as he tried to think of some kind of snappy comeback but for once none came to him. "I'll be there."

"Good." Lu nodded her head, walking over to the chair she was sitting in minutes before. She picked up her blanket, sat back down in the chair, and wrapped the blanket around her tightly again.

Haldir yawned. "I'm going to get to bed, Lutheriel. Unless you'd like to talk some more?"

"No, you look exhausted, you should sleep." She smiled. "I'll get to bed myself in just a little while. Please wake me up before you leave in the morning."

"I will. Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight." Lutheriel replied as she watched her husband walk off to the bedroom. After she heard the door shut, she picked up her journal again, skimming through the entries again.

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1st of Winter.

Snow is falling just beyond the borders of Lorien. I remember the snow, and how me and Legolas used to play in it when we were very young. It was such a long time ago. Snow never falls in Lorien; here it is always the same. The leaves never change color and fall, like all the other leaves in Middle-earth. A part of me wants to leave this forest and walk among the seasons once more. I haven't even been back to the Woodland Realm since Legolas and I set out for Lorien. Such along time ago it was. I want to leave these woods, not forever, but just to see the outside world again. I feel like I'm being held back by someone. Not Haldir, not Celeborn, nor Galadriel but by myself. Why am I afraid to leave these woods? I guess it is because I have overheard elves that have traveled outside of Lorien talking of strange happenings outside these woods. When I was younger all I wanted to do was travel outside of the Woodland Realm and then finally I got my wish by traveling to Lorien and now that I'm here, I feel trapped again.

Lutheriel put down her book on the table and sighed. She had wrote that entry many winters ago and she still felt the same way. She hadn't left this forest since she got here. She often thought of her father, whom she only saw a couple of times when he came here to visit the Lord and Lady. Legolas came more frequently to visit her, telling her all the stories of the outside world, even asking if she'd like to travel home. He even asked Haldir to join them. They had both decided to go with him but something came up and Haldir was called back to duty and they never rescheduled their trip. Lutheriel crossed her arms in front of her chest. _"It's time to stop being afraid." _She told herself. She looked out the window, a small smile crept onto her face. _"The narcissus flower is in bloom and it grows right outside the borders of Lorien." _She remembered seeing it's beautiful blossoms just before entering Lothlorien. Lutheriel had always been fond of the narcissus. Haldir even admitted that like liked the smell of the flower to her. Lutheriel had made up her mind, tomorrow she would travel just beyond the borders of Lorien to gather a bouquet of narcissus for a center piece for the table. It would be the perfect element to the dinner she would make for her husband.

Lutheriel yawned as she got up and placed the book back on the shelf. She folded the blanket back up and placed it over the back of the chair. She was still smiling from ear to ear as she entered the bedroom, slipping under the covers next to Haldir.

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to be continued.....


	22. The Borders of Lorien

Author's Notes: Sorry the last chapter was so short but I promise this one is longer and more exciting! This is the chapter the whole story was based on. So I guess you can say that from here on out is the beginning of 'Those You Love' I know you all probably have your eyebrows raised thinking 'what is that girl talking about? What does she mean this is the beginning of 'Those You Love'? After you get through this chapter you will hopefully understand. Read, enjoy, and review!

Those You Love

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The Borders of Lorien

By Celebrian

Lutheriel felt soft, moist lips on the back of her neck. Slowly her eyes fluttered opened and she rolled over on her back. Her vision was still coming in to focus, trying to filter out the bright sunlight that filled the room. She felt another soft kiss on her throat. She smiled and wrapped her arms around Haldir. "Good morning."

"You asked me to wake you before I left." He whispered into her ear.

"Thank you." She whispered back, placing her hand on the back of his neck slightly pushing on it to bring his face closer to hers, so that she could kiss him. They kissed for a few moments. "Mmmm...don't leave..." 

Haldir pulled back slightly. "The sooner I get to my post, the sooner I can get home." He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and then stood up. "Besides, you have dinner to make for me."

Lutheriel whipped a pillow at her husband and stuck out her tongue. "I've decided that I'm not going to make you that dinner after all." Two seconds later she broke into a grin.

Haldir smiled back as picked up his bow and quiver of arrows. "I'll be home just before dusk." He said as he headed to the front door. He stopped and turned around. "I love you."

"I love you too." Lutheriel said climbing out of bed and started to get dressed.

***************

Just as the night before was cold so was the day. Haldir had pulled his gray cloak around him tightly and walked quickly to the armory flet to meet up with the other sentries that would be traveling with him. He took a moment and looked up at the sky. Though there wasn't much sky to be seen, most of it was hidden by the canopy of thick golden leaves. The sky that peaked through the leaves though, Haldir could see that it was clouded. A strong feeling of dread came over him and he looked down at the necklace his wife had given to him on their wedding night. It was a special necklace that belonged to her mother. The stone in the center of the amulet glowed blue when orcs were near. Haldir had worn it always and never did he see it glow because no orcs had been seen around Lorien in a very long time. Haldir approached the armory and opened the door. It was much warmer in here thankfully and he wished that there were enclosed flets out on the borders as well.

"Captain!" One elf said as he came and greeted the March Warden. "We've gathered the provisions and we are set to travel as soon as you give the word.

Haldir nodded. "Good." He said as he looked around at the other two elves. "Is this all the company?"

"Yes sir." The elf spoke. "Just Barahir, Earadan, and myself. It seems to be sufficient enough, don't you think? I'm Finahald by the way."

"I suppose." He nodded again as he looked outside the window. "Don't you think it rather odd that the air outside is rather cold?"

Finahald and the others were silent for a moment. "It is, Sir, but I'm sure it's nothing to be worrying about. Barahir replied picking up his quiver and strapping it onto his back. "Are we off, Captain?"

"Yes." Haldir nodded slightly, still looking outside. Perhaps it was nothing to worry about. _"I'm letting my mind wander." _He thought as he followed his troop out the door.

**************

Lutheriel touched her hand to the glass. _ "It is colder than usual." _She thought. Something was unusual about this, yet no one spoke of a reason why. _"Lorien can't stay the same forever. Besides, this is nothing really knew to me. I grew up in the Woodland Realm, where we welcomed the changing seasons."_

She turned away from the window and looked to the dinning room table, which she had set magnificently as soon as her husband had left for his post. She smiled at her work and then walked quickly over to the fireplace where she had vegetables simmering in a medium sized kettle. Tonight would be absolutely perfect. All she had to do now was pick the bouquet of narcissus for the table centerpiece and finish up dinner.

Lutheriel put on her heaviest cloak that she owned and make sure that he hood was pulled snuggly around her head to keep out the chill. It was just like old times where her and her brother would bundle themselves up and go riding through the fallen autumn leaves or the white snow. She picked up her basket and gave the table one last look. "I'll be back soon, don't cook to fast." She said to the simmering kettle with a laugh. With that said she headed out of her flet and down the path that lead to the eastern borders of Lorien.

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Haldir stood looking out over the northern borders of Lorien. He could see the sky clearly now. It wasn't gray anymore but a bright sky blue with not a single cloud to be seen for miles. The air was still crisp but not as cold as it was earlier. 

"It's turning out to be a fine day, Sir." Earadan said as he propped his back up against the tree trunk.

"It must had just been a passing storm that crept into our lovely forest." Barahir chimed in. "If only the weather could always be like it is in Lorien."

Haldir's sentries seemed to be a little too chatty for his liking. They talked and laughed amongst themselves, they even tried to get him into their conversations but the March warden refused to take any part in them. How could one focus on the job if they were too busy laughing? He was about two seconds away from separating them.

"...heard from my friend who works in Lady Galadriel's court and he said that the Lady and Lord have been spending a lot of time discussing something important." Finahald spoke quietly.

"Does he know what about?" Barahir asked.

"He doesn't know. He only knows that that it must be something rather important. He sees Lady Galadriel go down to her mirror when everyone else has gone to sleep. He said that she stays up all night sometimes...looking into it." Finahald whispered.

Haldir's ears perked up. He wasn't about to join in on the conversation but he would listen. _"So there is something going on.... I knew there had to be. I haven't seen the Lord and Lady in so long. They're keeping themselves locked up in their place.....but why? What is the reason?"_

**************

Lutheriel walked slowly down the path that led to the borders. Even though she lived here for many, many years she still could not get over how huge these trees were. They amazed her; from their height to their girth to their brightly colored leaves that seemed like they changed color. Her thoughts on the trees shifted to thoughts on what the outside world was like. Of course she knew what it was like before but what was it like now? Where things still the same?

She passed very few elves as she continued on her way. The ones that she passed gave her a friendly smile or a peaceful nod. She didn't know too many of the elfkind on this side of the forest. It was always nice to see fresh faces. Lutheriel crossed the bridge over the Celebrant and fond herself standing in a patch of lush green grass. The trees were not as thick now, so she knew that she was near the borderline.

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It was midday now and the air in Lorien felt like it always had before as if it had never changed. That seemed to comfort Haldir but still there was wonderment in the back of his mind. Barahir, Earadan, and Finahald had quit their socializing and stood alert at their posts. Just a few more hours before the new troop of sentries came to relieve them and then Haldir could return to Lutheriel. He had been looking forward to seeing her all day. Though Haldir was usually not one for romance he planned on having a romantic evening with his wife tonight. He looked forward to the dinner she was at home cooking for them. Whatever she wanted to do after dinner was her call, if she wanted to talk, cuddle, or just gaze into each other's eyes he would do whatever she wished. Haldir leaned back on the tree and continued to let his mind look forward to the evening. He didn't even hear Finahald talking to him.

".....necklace, Sir..." 

Haldir turned his head slightly and just caught the tail part of it. "What was that Finahald?" He asked a little embarrassed that he been caught not paying attention.

"I said, that's an interesting necklace, Sir. I've never seen one that glows blue." Finahald pointed at the necklace that hung around Haldir's neck.

Haldir looked down only to find the necklace around his neck was glowing indeed.

**********

Lutheriel walked out of Lothlorien for the first time since she came to the forest many years ago. The sun was brightly shinning onto her face. It felt so good, now that the leaves of Lorien didn't mask it. It was just as beautiful as Lutheriel remembered it, everything looked the same. She stood there for a few moments gazing at her surroundings. To the west was the direction of the Woodland Realm, to the north Rohan, the country of the horse-lords, east was the way to Rivendell, and to the south was the way to a tower called Orthanc, where a mighty wizard could be found. As she continued to gaze, the beautiful narcissus flowers came into view.

"Ah, the reason I came out here." She said out loud with a smile as she started to walk over to the flowers. Her smile only grew bigger when she thought on how they would enhance the evening. She knelt down to them to smell their sweet smell and then began to pick a few stems putting them into her basket. When she picked all the nice looking flowers from that patch she moved to another patch that was a little further away.

She knelt beside them. "Oh, these are even more fresh and vibrant than the others!" She giggled as she picked. Dandelions grew in with the narcissus and she couldn't help but to make herself a dandelion crown like she used to make when she was a child. She even made them for Legolas and they would pretend that they were rulers of magical lands. So many childhood memories and most of them brought a smile to her face.

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"I'll have to visit my father and brother soon. Haldir and I will visit them soon." She thought, as she could not bear to be separated from them forever. She also wished to see all her friends that she hadn't seen since she left. She wondered how their lives had changed. Her free spirited will to travel was coming back to her and suddenly she had the urge to visit to Rohan, Rivendell, and even as far as a place called 'the Shire' where little folk were supposed to dwell. 

Lutheriel kept on daydreaming as she filled her basket with not only narcissus and dandelions but with the other wildflowers that were near. She sat comfortably in the lush grass listening to the birds sing while the sun warmed her skin. _"Haldir is going to be so happy when he sees what I prepared for him tonight. I hope he won't be upset that I left Lorien.... well, he shouldn't be. He never did tell me that I had to stay within the borders." _She assured herself.

She was just about to stand up and head back into the forest when she stopped. "Something's different." She whispered, yet she didn't know what it was but she felt that something out here had changed. She listened and heard nothing.

Nothing.

That was the problem, where there was once birds singing now there was nothing to be heard. "Strange." She shrugged her shoulders and didn't think much more about it until she placed her hand on the ground to steady herself as she stood up. The ground trembled with an unusual beat. Gray clouds covered up where there was once a warm yellow sun it now. A strong wind blew from the south and it made Lutheriel's bones shiver.

Something was definitely wrong. Lutheriel stood up quickly, grabbed her basket and started to walk quickly back to Lorien. She hadn't realized that she wandered so far away from the forest borders until she saw how tiny the forest looked. "I can't believe I strayed so far away.." Her heartbeat quickened and so did her legs. She began to run towards the borders being careful not to trip over her gown as she did so. Something flew past her very close to her head and struck a tree. It was an arrow but it did not look Elvish at all.

Lutheriel turned her head back only to see a horde of figures not all that far behind her. "Orcs!"

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"Orcs!" Haldir shouted grabbing an arrow from his quiver.

"Sir?" Barahir questioned.

"My necklace. It glows blue when orcs are near." Haldir briefly explained. "Prepare for battle! Finahald, warn the other patrol groups around Lorien and send word to the Lord and Lady."

"Yes, Captain." Finahald nodded and grabbed the horn to warn the other sentries.

"How near are they, Captain Haldir?" Earadan asked drawing back his bowstring and aiming through the trees.

"I don't know. I only know they are coming and will be upon us soon." Haldir said as he kept a watchful eye out.

*********************

Lutheriel didn't scream but began to run again. The orcs knew she was there or they wouldn't have fired that arrow at her. She was lucky it missed her and struck the tree instead. She could feel them running after her because the grounds trembling beat was now much quicker now. _"I must get inside Lorien and warn the sentries!" _She thought. She glanced back again only to find that a couple of the orcs were almost in arms reach away from her. _"Something ill gives speed to these creatures!" _She thought trying to run faster but her foot kept getting caught up in her heavy dress. A hand grabbed at her hair and she shrieked out pulling her hair out of the creatures' grasp. "Get away from me!!"

The orcs snarled and lashed out with their hands again, just missing grabbing her. Lutheriel spun around and threw her flower basket at the dark creatures. That was all she had and hoped that it would slow them down for just a second. No such luck. It only made them madder and they growled loudly. She was still looking behind her at the orcs when she smacked into something that stood in front of her. At first she thought it was a tree but then when she felt the hot horrid breath on her, she knew it was not.

Lutheriel looked up to meet the gaze of a very tall orc. She was in such a state of shock she could barely move or scream or do anything. The orc snarled at her as she began to back up not remembering that the other two orcs were behind her. She remembered that they were there when she bumped into them. Her eyes were wide with horror and a scream started to rip from her mouth until she was silenced. The tall orc grabbed her by the face and lifted her into the air bringing her close to him. When their faces were just inches apart, he growled at her showing his fanged mouth. Lutheriel couldn't even think of anything to do to try and get away. Even if she did, where would she go? Lorien was too far away still and there were a lot more orcs than just the three that were attacking her. 

The tall orc dropped Lutheriel onto the ground and she landed on her back, looking up into the evil eyes of the orcs. One of the orcs struck down at her with a spear but she rolled and it missed her. She kicked one of the creatures in the shins as hard as she could and tried to wiggle her way out between their legs.

"Are you having fun tormenting me?!?!" She shouted at them. She knew that they were playing with their prey otherwise they would have killed her by now.

They growled and snarled but she could tell they were becoming bored with her. She remembered the time when she first encountered orcs. It was when she and her brother were coming to Lorien and their company was attacked during the night. All was lost except for her and Legolas. _"I will not die at the hands of these foul beings!" _She cried out in her mind. _"Lorien is still to far away; maybe the sentries are still not aware of what is going on out here. They must not know, or they would have been here by now. I hope Haldir is much-"_

Lutheriel felt a sharp jab into her lower abdomen. She cried out in pain and then looked to were the pain was coming from. She could see a large spear sticking out of her body; blood was seeping through her white linen dress. They had finally quit playing around with her and now they were going to finish her off. Lutheriel hadn't moved out of the way fast enough and the spear pierced her as she lay on the ground. Another bolt of pain came over her as one of the other orcs stabbed her almost in the same spot. She cried out. The tall orc began to lift his spear to her but just as he was bringing it down on her he toppled over. A white feathered arrow sticking out of his back. Lutheriel's eyesight was getting fuzzy but she could see orcs starting to drop one by one. "Thank the Valors.." She whispered, realizing that a host of Lorien Elves where coming from the forest, firing upon the creatures. She pressed her hand over the wounds and she could feel how deep they went. Her hands were covered in warm sticky blood; her body was growing cold. A sudden wave of fear washed over her. This was supposed to be the feeling she'd never have to face.

"My Lady!" She heard someone call out to her and then drop down beside her. "I'll get you back to Lorien..." He said as he began to pick her up. He stopped when Lutheriel's hand grabbed his arm with all the strength it had left.

"...I am far...beyond any recovery...." Lutheriel managed to say her voice was not more than a whisper. "Please...tell my..hu-husband, Haldir...that I love him. That I love..him for ev-everything that he is..." 

"My Lady, we will get you back to the Lady. She can-" The sentry stopped as he noticed that the Lady Lutheriel was no longer breathing. He gently placed a hand over her heart only to find that it no longer beat. He lowered his head.

*****************

"That's the last of them Captain." Earadan reported. "We were lucky to have that warning you gave us. Otherwise, the orcs would have made it into the forest. Instead we were able to strike them down just outside the borders."

Haldir nodded. "Anyone hurt?"

"Just a few minor injuries. I don't think orcs will be back here any time soon." Earadan said with a smile.

Barahir came over to Haldir. "We've got a troop gathering up the bodies of the orcs to be burned. There was about fifty of them that we killed and about twenty that were able to retreat back to where they came from."

Haldir smiled. "It was a good day then." He said with satisfaction in his voice.

"Captain Haldir!!" A voice from below called.

Haldir walked over to the edge of the flet and looked down at the elf that was waving his hands above his head. Haldir could see that two other elves behind him were carrying something. He didn't waste a second more and went down to them. "Yes?" He asked as he stood before the sentry.

The sentry's face was pale and filled with distress. "Sir...." He started but didn't know how to break this to the march warden. "Captain...We found your wife out away from the borders.... Sir, she was attacked....and killed." He stammered and then stepped away. The two elves that were behind him came into view holding Lady Lutheriel's body.

....to be continued........

A/N: And so through twenty-two chapters I hoped you have enjoyed my created character of Lutheriel Greenleaf, the wife of Haldir. The story is not over there is still much to tell. The only thing I will leave you with is to expect the unexpected.....Until we meet again.... 


	23. The Maddening of Haldir

A/N: I hope everyone is still enjoying this story. Thank you for your reviews and I hope you stick around for the end. Read and Review. Thanks!

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Those You Love

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The Maddening of Haldir

By Celebrian

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Why is it that those I love end up getting hurt? First my parents and now my wife has been taken from me. What have I done to deserve this pain?

"Haldir, you haven't eaten a thing in three days...Please, you need your strength." Orophin said to his older brother pushing the bowl of soup towards him.

"I have no desire." Haldir replied pushing the soup bowl away from him. His gaze returned to staring at the wall.

Orophin sat looking at his brother. He was unsure of what to say. What could make Haldir feel better? Right about now Orophin couldn't think of anything. Three days ago his brother's wife was killed by orcs. Sadness came over him as he thought about Princess Lutheriel. Both Orophin and Rúmil both loved Lutheriel very much and were so happy that she made Haldir happy. "Hal-"

"I don't feel much like talking." Haldir said turning his face to look at Orophin, his voice was stern and cold. "In fact I would like to be left alone."

Orophin nodded slightly. "All right. I'll come back in a little while and check on you." He said as he stood up.

Haldir said nothing more to his younger sibling as he left Haldir's flet. After the door was shut and Orophin was out of sight, Haldir rubbed his temples and then placed his hand over his eyes as he rested his elbow on the table. He felt absolutely sick to his stomach and his head was throbbing with pain. He wanted to cry but he swore to himself that he'd never shed another tear after his parents were killed. A messenger from Lorien had been sent out to tell King Thranduil and Prince Legolas of the news. Haldir could just imagine what Legolas would say. All these thoughts and feelings were so much for him to bear and as much as he tried not to think of the day before yesterday, those dark memories kept flooding into his mind.

***********

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"Captain Haldir!"

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Haldir came down the flet to greet the sentry below. He wondered why he sounded so desperate. Haldir noticed that the sentry's voice was a bit unsteady. "Yes?"

"Sir...." The sentry started and then stopped. "Captain...We found your wife out away from the borders.... Sir, she was attacked....and killed." His face was pale and distraught as he stepped away to reveal the two elves holding Lutheriel's limp body.

Haldir stood there frozen and wide eyed as he looked at the elf maiden. At first he refused to believe that it was her. "...no..." His voice was barely audible.

"I'm so sorry, Captain Haldir..." The sentry apologized. "When my troop arrived outside of the borders, the orcs had already wounded her. After we killed them I ran over to her and told her we were going to take her back to the Lady....but she was so weak... She wanted for me to tell you that she loved you deeply...those were her last words, Sir."

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The other two-elven soldiers laid Lutheriel's body down and stepped away from it. Haldir moved slowly to her and knelt down beside her. He looked into her clear blue eyes, which were now starting to cloud over. "Lutheriel..." He muttered taking her hand and squeezing it gently. He wanted for her eyes to blink and then wrap her arms around him but he knew that not going to happen. Haldir looked at the sentry that found her. "Do you know why she was out there!?" His voice boomed almost as if he was blaming them for her death.

"No, Sir....we did find a basket with some picked narcissus. I guess we can assume that she was out gathering flowers." The sentry guessed.

Haldir looked back at his wife, still holding her bloodied hand. "Of all the years you spent in Lorien, why was it today that you chose to go outside the borders, my love?" He thought as he looked down at her and then slowly with his other hand closed her eyelids. 

"Captain, The Lady and Lord where just informed and they request that Lutheriel is taken to Galadriel's garden." Another elven sentry said as he placed his hand on the captain's shoulder.

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"I'll carry her!" Haldir snapped just as two elves went to pick his wife's body up. Haldir wasn't about to let another soul touch her. Carefully, he bent down and lifted her slowly from the ground. It hurt him so much to look at her face, still as beautiful as ever just as if she were sleeping, but as his eyes traveled down the length of her dress her death was evident. Haldir only felt this type of pain once before and he survived it but now he wasn't sure if he could go through this again.....

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The Elves followed behind Haldir solemnly; it was unusual and rare that a death was ever in Lorien. This was the first one in over four hundred years. All of them respected the Woodland princess and loved her dearly; it was strange that she was gone. Haldir walked slowly down to Galadriel's garden and placed her on a rose colored linen that was laid across a row of flat stones. The Lord and Lady were standing at the base of the stairs, their faces grave with sadness. Lady Galadriel stepped down and approached Lutheriel's body. She placed her hand across her own heart and then reached down to touch Lutheriel's. She closed her eyes and spoke a prayer for the fallen elf. When she had finished she looked at Haldir and walked over to him. "I know this pain is unbearable but you must be strong...we must all be strong in times such as these. Lutheriel has passed to the Halls of Mandos, where the Valar will take care of her."

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Lord Celeborn motioned his hand for the other elves to leave and give Haldir sometime with her. Once the elves were gone Celeborn joined his wife's side. "I am sorry for your loss." 

"I didn't do my job....I didn't protect her..." Haldir mumbled shaking his head, looking at the ground.

"There was no warning of this attack Haldir. Even my mirror did not show me these events. You did your job protecting Lorien before the orcs over ran it." The Lady said as she placed her hand on the march warden's shoulder. With that said, she looked over at her husband and nodded slightly. Celeborn acknowledged and both of them began to walk back up into the palace.

Haldir watched them go and once they were no longer to be seen he walked back over to his wife's body and knelt down beside her. He gently grasped her hand again and brought it up to his lips, kissing it. Her skin was still slightly warm but was growing paler and her lips were a purplish rose color now. "I love you. I wish I said that more to you, I wish I was more of a husband to you, I wish...I wish...I could have protected you...but I failed you...." He could barely choke out the words. He kissed her hand again and then brought it up to rest on his cheek. His heart ached more than ever and it was hard for him to breathe. "Lutheriel, you made me so happy. I don't know what I would have been like if...if it wasn't for your love..."

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Haldir rubbed his temples again as he sat at the table in his flet. Why did it have to happen? Why was she taken from him? She was so innocent and sweet....why did she have to fall victim to such an evil act. She did not deserve it. _ "Perhaps if she would have stayed in the Woodland Realm she would have been safe....I wish I never met her...I wish I didn't fall in love with her....I wish I never married her....She would still be alive...."_

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The Woodland Realm.

Legolas threw his saddle on his horse and tightened it securely. He had just received the letter from Lorien that his beloved sister Lutheriel was killed by orcs and now he was riding back to the forest. His father was unable to join him on his journey to Lorien but would be coming as soon as he could get away from his kingdom.

"Son, please ride hard and quickly. Lord Celeborn stated in his letter that some of the orcs retreated away from Lorien and headed back into the hills. They could still be lurking about." King Thranduil explained.

"I will father. Those orcs better not hope they meet me..." Legolas gritted his teeth as he swung his leg up over his horse. His heart was both heavy with anguish and hate.

"I will ride to Lorien in four days time just as soon as my advisor returns to take my leave of absence....." Thranduil's words trailed off and he slumped down into a chair. He covered his eyes and sobbed.

Legolas looked at his father with worry. "Father...."

"I'll be fine, my son, I'll be fine..." It was so hard for Thranduil to except that his only daughter was gone. "You should get moving before dark."

Two escorts plus the Lorien messenger would be accompanying the Prince back to the Golden Wood. They took their place at either side of him and waited to begin their trek. Legolas nodded. "See you in a few days, father." He said lovingly to Thranduil, He then looked to his escorts and gave a nod. Once the elves were outside the stable, Legolas made a clicking noise with his tongue urging his horse to move quickly. The other riders followed at the same speed, and all the Woodland Elves that they passed wondered what Prince Legolas was leaving so quickly for. For the news had not yet been broken to them. 

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Orophin walked quietly through the gardens of Lorien. _"It only seemed like yesterday that Haldir was getting married...." _He thought, gazing up at the golden trees. _"I had never seen him so nervous in all my life but he was also probably one of the happiest elves I had ever met. In all our years Rúmil and I both wished for Haldir to find someone to love, and then as if the Valar sent her, the beautiful Lutheriel Greenleaf shows up in Lorien and breaks his cold spell. And now she is gone, taken by the darkness....."_

"Do not worry for your brother, Orophin, but now deal with his healing...." A soft voice called just beyond the rosebushes. Slowly Lady Galadriel came from behind them and made her way next to Haldir's youngest brother. "Haldir needs people around him to be strong and yet comfort him. This is part of the healing process. Grieving for long will only lead to death of an elf."

This Orophin knew, but having the Lady tell him made him believe it and that made him feel better. "It's still so sad though...not just for my brother, but for everyone. I know she is safe in Mandos but she is separated from those that love her...."

"For now, but not forever.." Galadriel smiled and touched Orophin's shoulder. "I know that your family has gone through so much..."

Orophin nodded. "Haldir had always been the one to take death the hardest...but after our parents were killed...He built this stonewall around him...not showing any type of emotion. When the Princess came, she was able to tear it down...I'm afraid...afraid that he is going to rebuild that wall, but this time he will build it so sound that no one will be able to get to him."

Queen Galadriel knew what Orophin meant. In all her years that she knew Haldir, she had seen him deal with pain in the only way he knew how -to isolate himself from everyone around. "I will not lie and say your brother is not difficult but the only way he will except her death is if we continue to treat him as we have always done. Haldir is not looking for pity but for kindness and friendship. He will be fine." She assured.

What she said did make some sense to Orophin and he nodded his head. "He asked to be left alone, so I will wait for a while before I go to him again."

Galadriel smiled and nodded ever so slightly. She began to open her mouth to speak but was interrupted by one of her guards.

"My Queen, sorry for the intrusion." The elven male said bowing his head to her. "Prince Legolas and his escorts have just entered Lorien." 

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Lorien looked the same as it always did but yet the feeling of it did not feel the same. To Legolas it almost felt cold and bitter. Perhaps he was just the one that felt cold and bitter. He got here faster than anyone anticipated instead of it being a three-day journey he made it here in less than two days. He did not stop for rest and rode his horse fast until he entered inside of the forest. He was here now, in Lorien, usually when he came here it was to visit his sister and brother-in-law but today he was here to mourn her. His heart was heavy with a sick sadness.

The Prince jumped off his horse and turned to his escorts. "Please rest for awhile, I know you all must be a bit exhausted." The escorts bowed their heads to Legolas and then headed off into another direction. Once they were out of view, sadness crept over Legolas like a shadow. He tried not to let it show too much to his escorts but now that he was alone, his true feeling showed.

Two Lorien sentries were standing at the entrance of Lady Galadriel's garden, they bowed to the Prince and then let him pass through the gates. Legolas entered the garden slowly; his heart was beating so fast it felt as if it was going to jump right out. He took a few more steps until he saw Lutheriel's body placed on a soft bed made up of silk and fresh flowers. Legolas froze dead in his tracks almost to scared to go over to her. He didn't want to see her and yet he wanted to. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat and took a few more steps until he came into view of her face. She looked as though she were sleeping. Legolas noticed that she had been fitted into a new beautiful dress and her wounds were cleaned. She looked perfectly fine, just his beautiful sleeping little sister. "Lu....." He whispered, kneeling down next to her and placing his hand on top of hers. This emotion rushing through him was overwhelming. He tried not to let it take him. "I'm so sorry Lutheriel....this should have never happened......." He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. Tears welled up in his eyes and he quickly wiped them away.

For a moment he had decided that he would go and hunt down every orc to avenge her death but he knew that it would not be possible, it wasn't even realistic, there was no way it could be done. He touched his sister's hand again. "What can I do for you, Lu? What would make you happy?" He asked knowing that she would not give him a verbal answer but after thinking about it for a moment he knew what would give her the greatest joy.

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"Haldir, don't you wish we could have a family?" Lutheriel asked her husband as she hugged him from behind.

"No." Haldir snorted at the notion of that idea. "And I am thankful Arwen Undómiel was the last born of our people. I don't think I could handle children and fatherhood."

"Not even a son whom you could teach archery to? Not even a daughter whom you could give a piggyback ride to?" Lutheriel kissed Haldir on his back through his clothing. 

"Honestly, I don't like to dwell on things that can never happen. Why waste the time to think about things unrealistic when there are far more important things to think about, love?" He asked turning around to face her. He took her face in his hands and kissed her mouth tenderly.

"But Haldir...we have all the time in the world..."

Haldir sat at his table still, he hadn't moved all day. It was night now, and the only source of light was from the moon. He sat there in almost complete darkness with his head down on the table. All day he had been thinking about different conversations he had with Lutheriel over the span of their marriage. "Why was I so cruel to you? I did love you, Lutheriel....even though I didn't show it..." He whispered as if she was sitting across from him listening. He wished he could have a fresh start with her, he'd be so much different. He would never say sarcastic remarks to her or shut her out completely...he'd always be there for her. "Please give me another chance...please let her come back to me..." He practically begged the Valar. _"This is stupid! Why am I begging like this?! She is not coming back! I failed her...I didn't protect her like I promised! I should have refused this necklace and let her keep it!" _

Anger was building up in Haldir and before he knew it he sprang out of his chair picking up the bowl of soup that Orophin had given him and threw it against the wall. Haldir gritted his teeth feeling a little satisfaction from his destructive action. _"What kind of march warden am I, if I can't even protect my own wife from death?! What next? Will I not be able to protect the Lord and Lady?" _Haldir shook his head, enraged that he would soon not be able to protect anyone. He slammed his hand on the table so hard that everything on it shook. He kicked the chair, knocking it over on to the floor. Haldir moved away from the table and towards the shelves where he had a drawing of his parents, it was the only image he had of them, with out that he'd have no remembrance of what they looked like. "I'm sorry I failed you too..." He said out loud. "I'm a failure...." Haldir cried out, slamming his fist into the shelve, knocking off all the items on to the floor. 

The picture of his parents fell to the floor and the glass shattered. Haldir stopped his wild demolition at the sound of breaking glass. He looked down, seeing the picture lying with shards of sharp broken glass. He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm himself as he picked up the picture. "I'm sorry..." He muttered softly, setting the picture gently back onto the wood shelf.

Haldir gazed at the wall for a few seconds in a daze. His whole world seemed to be crumbling down around him. Who would be the next to go? His brothers? Queen Galadriel? Lord Celeborn?..... His mouth was open slightly as he shook his head and wandered over to his bed. He was so tired; he hadn't slept since Lutheriel's death. He sat down in the darkness, fearing if he went to sleep his dreams would be filled with nightmares of things he had no control over......

The door to Haldir's flet opened and Legolas poked his head in. "Brother Haldir?" He called out. 

No answer.

It was dark inside Haldir's flet and for a moment he wondered if his brother was at home. _"Maybe he's off on border patrol?" _Legolas thought to himself. _ "No, he wouldn't be on patrol...he should be here..." Legolas_ walked a few more steps into the dark room and stumbled over a tipped over chair. When he caught his balance he stepped on some already broken glass. _"What has happened in here?"_

"Haldir?" He called out again.

"I'm over here." Haldir replied. "Sitting on the bed." He half expected for Legolas to show up soon. Was Thranduil with him too? What would they say about him?

Legolas used the moonlight to guide him over to the bedroom area and finally through the pale moonlight he saw his brother-in-law sitting on the bed. "What did you do Haldir?" Legolas asked about the room.

For a second Haldir said nothing. "....I..I lost it..." He confessed. "I lost my temper...I don't know what's been happening to me lately. After getting married-I don't know why I'm telling you any of this." He stopped suddenly and looked up at Legolas.

Legolas sat across from Haldir and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I know what you're going through... As you have lost your wife, I have lost my only sister. Haldir, this was not your fault. I know that you don't believe that, but it is true. This was unpreventable...." That was the truth. Legolas knew Haldir had no control over his sister's death but Haldir was blaming himself for it.

"Legolas, I loved your sister so much...I didn't really ever show it as much as I should have. I could have been a better husband to her...We had great years together but I still never really showed how much I loved her."

"She knew you loved her dearly. In her letters home, she wrote on how wonderful you where to her. She said that she could have not asked for a better husband. You brought joy to her life, Haldir." Legolas smiled, recalling the letters Lutheriel often sent home to Mirkwood. "Even though you may have not said the words or showed her you loved her...she knew."

"I don't know how I'm going to make it through the rest of my life without her?" He said shaking his head. "I don't want to turn into the ugly monster I was before."

"Haldir, we can be there for each other. We can help each other get through this pain. It's what Lutheriel would have wanted for us. Remember when I first found out that you were going to marry my sister? I was going to kill you." Legolas tried to make light of the subject. It was helping him forget about the pain of losing Lutheriel.

Yes, this is what Lutheriel would have wanted. She wouldn't have wanted her two most beloved people hate each other. She would want them to be friends. " I know we started off badly, Legolas, and I am sorry for that. I know as the years progressed that we became closer but I think from now on things will be different between us, Brother Legolas." Haldir said smiling very slightly.

Legolas nodded. "Lutheriel would be very delighted to hear that. We will keep her in our hearts and hold her dearly forever.

***********

And from that day on, Haldir and Legolas had become more than just brothers-in law, they became great friends. Sometimes it takes a tragedy to bring two people together. Though things seemed to start looking better on the horizon, there was one who could foresee things to come.

"...The time is near.....The dark shadow will soon be released from Mordor...." Galadriel whispered as she gazed into her mirror.

....to be continued....


End file.
